Hate Is Misguided Love
by MermaidMidna
Summary: They've always been attracted to each other. It's just a matter of the whole stepsibling issue. But there's no denying that there's something there. What we didn't see with our eyes, we saw with our hearts.
1. Chapter 1

_**Story Title: **__Hate Is Misguided Love_

_**Characters/Pairings: **__Derek/Casey, hints of all canon couples in the show_

_**Plot: **__Pre-George/Nora wedding – after Vacation with Derek and beyond_

_**Notes: **__This is kind of my attempt at the 'ultimate' Dasey fanfic. I wanted to really delve into the characters, their motives, and their relationships. I wanted to provide some back story, and explore Derek and Casey's characters in greater depth than I ever have before. I want to keep the dialogue as close to real Life with Derek dialogue as I possibly can, and really make everyone seem in-character. _

_**Dedications and thank yous: **__To __all of you who have reviewed my stories before, I cannot thank you enough. I really hope you enjoy this, and continue to read and review. I have already written this whole story out, so it will not interfere with my updating of other stories, and I plan on updating this one once a week. _

_A special thanks goes out to Frogster, __Dark-Supernatural-Angel, feathersfam, and LeanneDaseyLover for always giving me the most amazing reviews and never ceasing to read and comment on my stories. You guys make me love writing even more, and I thank you for that._

_**I just wanted to get all of that out of the way. I promise I won't make any more annoying Author's Notes on the rest of the chapters. As always, I do not own anything! Please enjoy, and I hope you take the time to review if you do!**_

* * *

_**Chapter 1: "Hate is misguided love." –Author Unknown**_

Ask anyone and they'll tell you, he was never really happy with his dad dating again. Sure, there was the occasional one-date wonder, which was usually a beautiful, younger (sometimes inappropriately-so) woman. Or the 'we-should-just-be-friends' lady that found out Georgey had three kiddos at home. But this one… this one is serious.

He can tell by the way his dad practically dances around the house and kisses Marti jovially on the cheek before leaving for work (sick), the way he hires a baby sitter like five times a week so he can go spend time with this 'Nora.'

From what he knows, Nora isn't too young, and she has two kids of her own, so she's not afraid of the fact that his dad has a teenager, tweenie, and toddlerette. She has a good job. and she makes his dad deliriously happy, and, to be honest, this scares the living crap out of him.

He was the one that took his parents' divorce the hardest, his rebellious stage becoming more drastic because of their break up. He'll deny the fact that he ever got emotional, but there were days when he would sit up in his bedroom listening to them fighting and just… cry.

But Marti was so young, and Edwin didn't have a dad figure to look up to in a lot of instances, so he continued to put on this constant charade of an apathetic, tough as nails sort of guy, his grades slipping further and further into oblivion.

Finally, when the divorce was finalized and his dad won custody, (which he _knew _was going to happen; his dad is a lawyer and far more responsible than his mom), his schoolwork was monitored more carefully. He was never the best student, but he had at least pulled his marks up to Cs and Ds rather than straight Fs.

But as his dad started dating different women, _he_ started bringing home a new girl every week as well. He was totally unaware of what he was doing. In his mind, he was just a popular, lady-loving, grade 8 boy, but in reality, he was mirroring his father's actions, his rebellion strengthening.

Then his dad meets Nora, and his world sort of flips upside down. Here's this woman that totally loves his dad (weirdness and lameness included), and he can hardly believe this is really happening, _especially_ when they date for over three months… and his dad actually wants him to go meet Nora's kids, the eldest in particular.

He doesn't find out anything about _her_ until they actually meet. Sure, his dad mentions (in passing) that Nora has a teenage girl around his age, but, frankly, he thinks nothing of it. Until he sees her, that is.

He's planned a little prank for their meeting, having one of his best friends, Ralph, pretend to be him. He almost instantly regrets this decision when she shows up, with bright blue shimmering eyes, perfect skin, and a killer bod. She's wearing a school-girl uniform, and this just kind of turns him on more. He keeps on with his plan, though he can't help but interject a few of his statements into her and Ralph's conversation. It kind of sucks that she instantly hates him, her prudish, private-school mannerisms showing. He quickly realizes that although he may find her attractive, their personalities clash worse than toothpaste and orange juice.

The next time they meet, he reveals his real identity to her, and she's livid. They banter back and forth their entire lunch date. On one hand, he's really pissed that this girl is going to become his _sister_. On the other, he feels a challenge coming on, and he's never one to pass up a challenge. She has enough wit that she can actually semi keep up with his sardonic nature, something he hasn't ever found in anyone before. He… might even find their arguing really entertaining.

When his dad proposes to Nora, he knows they'll make each other happy. He truly is happy for his dad, but he watches his almost-stepsister out of the corner of his eye, his heart sinking in his chest.

She really is pretty, even with those unflattering bangs and that geeky retainer. She's smart too. He never told anyone this, but he likes smart girls.

He can't help but think that the biggest challenge of this new family thing is going to be trying not to jump her bones.

* * *

"Don't look at me. Don't talk to me. Don't even _think_ about tripping me! This is our parents' wedding, and you can't be doing anything to screw it up!" _Our _parents' wedding. It sounds so… utterly disdainful. She can hardly believe that her mother would marry a man with an ape for a son. But whatever makes her mom happy, right?

"Relax, Casey! Besides, you should be worrying about tripping without my help. You're such a klutz." her soon-to-be-stepbrother retorts, and her face flushes in anger. He's utterly barbaric, and he already knows _far_ too much about her, their families having spent a lot of time together before the wedding. "My crotch still smarts, thanks." He smirks at her, and now she's turning red out of embarrassment.

She assumes he's talking about their little incident at the rehearsal dinner the other night that involved her tripping over her own two feet and flying through the air, her head landing in his lap. Not only was she in _the_ most awkward position ever, but everyone in the entire world was watching. Needless to say, she was completely mortified as she stood up hastily, accidentally using Derek's thigh to support her. As if _that_ wasn't bad enough, she had to endure Derek's jeers the rest of the night. 'Gee wiz, no need to be so forward, Casey.' 'I know you want me, but wasn't that a little extreme?' 'So not subtle at all.' And the fact that she gets all hot and bothered thinking about her head in his lap… this just makes it worse.

"Stop making fun of me and act your age!" She shoves him, hard, in the ribs, which contradicts her prior statement of acting one's age, but sometimes rules must be broken to get the point across.

He hunches over, pretending to cry out in pain. She rolls her eyes at his antics and he smirks, straightening out. "Fine, I'll act like a mature and responsible fourteen year old and walk you down the aisle like it's the most important job in the entire world."

"Good, because right now it _is_ the most important job! Mom has big expectations for this day! Every woman wants her wedding day to be perfect." she says, smoothing out her dress. This is when she notices that his tie is crooked, and she absentmindedly starts to fix it, one of her hands resting on his chest as she does so.

He looks down at her hands, and she can't help but notice a slight red spreading across his cheeks. She breaks away, quickly realizing what she's doing. His mind seems to clear as she does, and he retorts, "Are you sure that's every woman, or just you? Because I'm pretty sure you're the only psycho in this wedding that's striving for perfection."

She gapes at him and then smacks his arm. "I really wish I could kick your-"

The music swells and Derek's eyes get wide. "Woops, that's our cue, missy! No more time for arguing!"

She panics, realizing that they need to start walking down the aisle _now_ if things are to go smoothly. "Oh no! Grab my arm and smile. Do it!"

She latches onto Derek, and they plant themselves where they need to be. Forced smiles on both of their faces, they walk down the aisle in time to the music.

She glances over at him for a moment and sees that his cheerful expression is less than convincing. "You're not smiling wide enough." she says through gritted teeth, staring straight ahead again.

"Maybe if you weren't gripping my arm so tightly, I would able to force a smile instead of this pained expression." he says in response, and they continue their banter in hushed voices.

"Why George picked _you_ for best man, I'll never know, even if you _are _his son."

"You should be called the maid of horror, _not_ honour."

"You _better_ have the rings ready or I _will_ kill you."

"Make sure not to drop the bouquet, Spacey!"

They finally stop when they reach the alter, having to separate and go to their respective sides. They pay no attention to each other until the 'I dos,' and suddenly she finds herself trying to catch his eye. He looks at her, a genuine smile forming at the corners of his lips, and the blood starts rushing to her face again. '_He looks really handsome,'_ she admits to herself, the golden light shining on his hair through the stained glass windows, his suit making him seem… dignified. His lips part a little and she's totally staring at his mouth now, inappropriate thoughts creeping into her mind. She hastily snaps her attention back to her mom and George, happy for a distraction when the minister announces that it's time to kiss the bride.

The recessional begins as the ceremony ends, and she laces her fingers around his arm a lot more gently than she did the first time, silently cursing her thoughts of '_we look good together.'_

They don't talk to each other at the reception. She pops chocolates in her mouth, watching him dance with Marti, secretly wishing that she was the one being spun around in his arms.

That night she lies in her hotel bed and contemplates her feelings for him… She decides she was just caught up in all the excitement and grandeur of the wedding. It meant nothing. Besides, she went to an all-girl's private school for so long, and she thinks that if it were any attractive boy she would be acting this way.

She knows she's incredibly stupid for ever thinking her and Derek could have any sort of future. They're siblings now, after all. Well, _step_siblings, but still… He's horrible and rotten, and she hates him.

This doesn't mean he makes for bad eye-candy, though…


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thank you all so much for the wonderful feedback for the first chapter! I promise to get back to all of you. You guys make me so happy. :) This chapter is more how the entire fic is going to be. Sorry if anything is confusing. The LWD timeline is so messed up, but I did my best. Please let me know what you think! Without further ado, chapter 2!**

**I don't own LWD and **_**Relative Strangers **_**belongs to ****William R. Beer.**

* * *

_**Chapter 2:**_** W**_**hen love is suppressed hate takes its place. – Ellis, Havelock**_

The first time he has to save her butt happens only a few days after the wedding. Their parents are off taking the rest of the kids back-to-school shopping. He's at a party (because he somehow manages to find one at the start of the school year; he always manages to find one), and Casey is at the library, studying (typical).

He's busy getting the phone number of this blonde bombshell he's been dancing with, when he gets an unknown call. He almost doesn't pick up, but then he figures it might be important. He excuses himself to the bathroom where it's quieter and flips open his phone.

"Hello?"

"Can you come get me?" He recognizes the voice instantly, his neurotic stepsister on the other end. This time she sounds even more paranoid than usual, her voice trembling and filled with worry.

"Get you? How am I supposed to get you when I don't have a car?" he asks, his brow furrowed. He hears her take a great shuddering breath, and this kind of worries him. That can only lead to one thing – tears. Something he absolutely _cannot_ handle. "Whoa, whoa, Casey, calm down." he says urgently. "Just… tell me what's going on. Why can't Dad and Nora come get you?"

"They're not picking up!" she says, her voice all high-pitched. He can tell she's on the verge of crying. "And I got… assaulted. Can you just take a bus here or something?"

She says the last part very quickly and quietly, and he's not quite sure he heard her right. "Wait, _assaulted?_ Casey, what is going on?"

"Some guy… tried to hit on me and I rejected him, and then he grabbed my arm, and I had to break away from him, and I just ran… it was so scary. Oh my gosh…" It's a jumbled mess of words, and he has a feeling she might be overreacting to this whole thing, but he still can't help but feel a little concerned for her.

"Can't you take a bus home?" he asks her quickly when someone starts pounding on the bathroom door, demanding to be let in.

"Maybe, but… I don't know if I have enough money for a bus ticket and… I really need someone, Derek. I just…"

He sighs, rolling his eyes. "You're still near the library?"

"Yes."

"I'll be there soon." he says, and before she can get another word in, he closes his phone and yanks open the bathroom door.

"Finally!" This girl who is clearly drunk stumbles in and heads straight for the toilet. He can still hear her retching when he heads out into the hallway and towards the door. He frowns at the sound. When that blonde from before tries to dance with him some more, he politely pushes her away, making his way out the door to the nearest bus stop.

He finds Casey sitting outside on a bench, huddled in her coat, her eyes red and puffy. (Thank god she got the crying over and done with before he comes.)

"You okay?" he asks, and she nods.

He gestures for her to get on the bus with him, he pays for their tickets, and they sit down in the same seat together.

"Thanks." she says softly, her eyes lingering on his for a bit. He turns away and looks out the window, her gratitude a little too much to handle, her blue eyes a little too much to handle.

"You know, I'm not doing this because I'm your brother or whatever…" he says, his sentence trailing off.

"I know." she says simply, her hands coming to rest in her lap.

"Good, because I don't think I could ever consider you my sister." He takes his eyes off the window for a moment and glances at her. She looks down hastily.

"You're the last person I would call my brother." she says softly, staring at the chipping pink polish on her nails.

"Glad we cleared that up!" he says loudly, leaning back in his seat. "Thank god there's no genetic link. I would hate being related to a keener like you!"

"Hey, I am _not_ a keener!"

They argue the entire way home, and he secretly finds this time with her _way_ more fun than that party ever was.

They never mention this incident (or their conversation) again.

* * *

**Counseling Report – Paul Greeby**

**9/15/05**

**Student Name:** Casey McDonald

**Grade:** 9

**Reason for appointment:** Transferred schools, having a hard time adjusting, new blended family

Casey seemed reluctant to talk at first, but once she opened up, there was no problem getting her to voice her feelings. She seems to be having a hard time getting used to the changes in her life, upset about the way her new stepsiblings have been treating her, in particular, the eldest, who is in the same grade as her. From what I can tell, she has very little personal or private space in her new house. I think Casey will, in time, learn to get used to her family members, but until then I will continue seeing her every Thursday at 3. She seems like a very well-rounded, academic student, and I'm sure she'll make great progress.

* * *

Her freshman year she learns about fifty new facial expressions that she didn't even know existed. All because of him. She masters the look of disgust, utter shock, and, most surprisingly, seduction. Okay, so, it's not quite as good as that little smirk of his, but she's gotten better at that eyebrow-raising, tongue-moving thing. He's doesn't seem to be as impressed as she is with herself, though.

She thinks he's absolutely horrible and wonderful at the same time. He's brilliant; there's no doubt about that, despite his constant protests of "I'm a C-average student. I'm not smart at all." She knows better than that. She's well-versed in poetry and literature. She can recite many of Shakespeare's sonnets off the top of her head. If you give her a mathematical equation, she can solve it in under five minutes. She knows a ridiculous amount of information about history and social sciences as well, and she absorbs facts like a sponge. But the things _he_ can come up with… Oh, _his_ type of smarts is far more dangerous than hers.

He saves her on multiple occasions, coming to her rescue when her reputation as a grade-grubber gets particularly daunting. She pretends like she _doesn't_ notice how people stop teasing her after they work on the project together.

He sets her mind reeling a lot. She doesn't know why she lets his insults and comments get to her the way they do. It really bothers her that she can't figure him out, especially when this is normally an effortless task for her. It doesn't help that he lies a lot. She can't be certain when he's telling the truth or when he's pulling her leg. She _will_ figure him out, though. He's her biggest challenge yet, but Casey McDonald does _not_ go down without a fight.

* * *

_I just want to say_

_That I don't need you_

_I'm strong on my own_

_I'm convinced this is true_

_You're a constant annoyance_

_Always causing me pain_

_Your jokes and your taunts_

_Running circles in my brain_

_I don't think about you all the time_

_So don't let it get to your head_

_God knows what you'd do with this fact_

_It's not like your ego needs to be fed_

_Sure, you've helped me a little bit_

_Made my grub-rep go down_

_Though you started "Klutzilla"_

_You planted my feet back on the ground_

_I don't understand your effect on me_

_You're just so… unexpected_

_I can't seem to prevail_

_My methods will have to be perfected_

_So…_

_I think you're cute and sometimes funny_

_But the worst feeling of all _

_It hurts most to admit_

_I like how you catch me when I fall_

* * *

**Counseling Report – Paul Greeby**

**10/7/05**

**Student Name:** Casey McDonald

**Grade:** 9

**Reason for appointment:** New stepbrother

Casey seems to have developed some hostile feelings towards her new stepbrother. They seem to have a rivalry going on, but I'm not quite sure it's a 'sibling' rivalry, per se. Considering she is a big reader and likes to take in information that way, I have recommended several web sources and books from the library for her to check out, including _Relative Strangers: Studies of Stepfamily Processes_ and _Stepfamily Relationships_**. **Hopefully she will find these resources helpful in the process to understand her stepbrother better.

* * *

_The scene has been set, and we know the stepfamily's difficult task. What are the patterns that emerge? The first is that the attraction between opposite-sex stepsiblings may flower into some sort of sexual relationship. Although this eventuality does occur, there are no reliable data about its frequency. What is more, its etiology is not as simple as meets the eye, since sexual attraction between stepsiblings can stem from a variety of causes. In addition to "simple" erotic-_

Oh my god. What is wrong with Paul? Why did he want me to read this? Is he trying to imply something here?

* * *

He figures her out quickly enough. She tries to take his room from him and almost succeeds, until the 'rents intervene, that is. After this he never lets his guard down; knowing what she is capable off makes her an even worthier opponent. He can't let her win, though. He won't. But watching her struggle for the prize, watching her almost achieve… It gives him a thrill. She's the only one that's come even a little bit close to thwarting his plans – a real match. He turns everything into a game to see how she will handle it, and he doesn't think he'll ever tire of this weird relationship they have.

She has to do better than dumping garbage on him or tying all of his bathroom supplies together. He knows she's capable of grander schemes.

She _almost_ has him when she dresses in that Babe Raider outfit, her bare midriff showing, her shirt clinging dangerously to her… upper regions. He has never seen anything so sexy in his life – not from the posters on his wall, not from the beach volleyball he's watched, not even from Babe Raider herself. Casey. In revealing clothes. In the flesh. He can't even think straight, his cereal overflowing with milk as he gapes at her apparel and ignores the rest of the world. He shrugs it off with an 'ew' as his family reacts to his stepsister's new look.

He keeps his eyes averted, but then he sees her in school and he starts to go crazy again. But he manages to convince her to never wear that outfit again due to some moral feminist integrity crap he makes up. The real reason is that he can't be around her when she's like that and not think about very inappropriate things. So he ends up winning that match. (Though it was more of an internal battle than a battle with Casey.)

They go about their normal bickering ways until he starts to notice her interest in his best friend, Sam. He does everything in his power to stop them from dating. He makes up some stupid rule about friends not being able to date their best friend's sister. (Step included.) But Sam doesn't listen, and _of course,_ Casey _never_ listens to him. Out of all the guys she had to choose from and she picks the _one_ that will be hanging around their house a lot. He doesn't know if this is some sort of sick mind game she's playing on him, or if he's being paranoid. Sure, Sam's a nice guy and all, but _why him?_ (What does he have that I don't have?)

She finally beats him. He can't win this game of intense jealousy. She finds his Achilles' Heel and – BAM - shoots him with an arrow right where it smarts.

* * *

**Counseling Report – Paul Greeby**

**11/10/05**

**Student Name:** Casey McDonald

**Grade:** 9

**Reason for appointment:** Derek Venturi (Am I allowed to put a student's name here?)

Casey has chosen to engage in a relationship with her stepbrother's best friend. I am starting to think she likes adding a bit of drama to her life.

I know I'm not supposed to request to have a student in my office for a session. I know they're supposed to make that decision on their own or with a parent's guidance, but I was wondering if it was at all possible for me to see Derek Venturi in the recent future? For Casey's benefit, of course.

* * *

_KingOfBabes91 is signed on_

_AustenLvr is signed on_

_AustenLvr: _Derek?

_KingOfBabes91: _Oh, hey. Let me guess? Casey? Only a keener would have a name like that.

_AustenLvr:_ Jane Austen is an amazing author!

_KingOfBabes91: _Yeah, yeah. I know how much you're in love with her fictional men. How did you get my username, anyway?

_AustenLvr:_ Sam gave it to me.

_KingOfBabes91:_ Of course. Remind me to kill him the next time I see him.

_AustenLvr: _DER-EK!

_KingOfBabes91: _Wow, impressive. You can even scream at me over the internet! Now do you mind telling me why you're talking to me, or should I just sign out?

_AustenLvr: _No! Don't sign out. I have to ask you something.

_KingOfBabes91: _Something that you can't ask me in person? Because… we live in the same house, and this is kind of creepy. I mean, you're right next door.

_AustenLvr:_ Well, it's kind of an embarrassing question…

_KingOfBabes91:_ Casey, if you want to know where babies come from, I recommend asking your mother. NOT me.

_AustenLvr:_ The question is about Sam!

_KingOfBabes91: _You can't see me right now, but I just thought I'd let you know that I'm rolling my eyes.

_AustenLvr: _Can you be serious for once in your life? I thought I'd ask you since you've been his friend for so long and you know him really well.

_KingOfBabes91: _…I'll try. What do you want to know? Oh, and please don't ask me anything incredibly personal… yuck.

_AustenLvr: _Thank you. I just wanted to know… why Sam doesn't sit with me at lunch.

_KingOfBabes91: _Seriously? Have you ever had a boyfriend before?

_AustenLvr: _Yes, but I went to an all-girl's school, remember?

_KingOfBabes91: _Okay, first of all, he doesn't want to be whipped.

_AustenLvr: _Whipped?

_KingOfBabes91: _Oh my god, what century do you live in? Whipped - when the girl is in complete control of the relationship and makes the guy a feminist-loving, ball-less zombie.

_AustenLvr:_ What does that have anything to do with eating lunch with me? PS: Thank you for that lovely definition.

_KingOfBabes91: _Because, he can't be with you ALL the time. He needs guy time. With me. To desensitize. PS: You are SO welcome.

_AustenLvr: _Okay… I guess that makes sense.

_KingOfBabes91: _Plus, the thought of you two eating lunch together… It's gag-worthy. I can just see you trying to spoon feed him across the table. "Oh here, Sammy, try some of my organic yogurt! I know you'll just love it!" Oh god, the bile is coming up already.

_AustenLvr has signed out._


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: As always, I hope you guys enjoy this! I had so much fun writing this chapter. I love writing underlying tension, and I feel like there was so much of it in the second season. I had to split my second season in half because I wrote so much, so don't worry. Kendra and Dennis will make an appearance next chapter! Please review if you have the time! I love your feedback so much!**

**

* * *

**

_**Chapter 3:**__**"You hate someone whom you really wish to love, but whom you cannot love. Perhaps he himself prevents you. That is a disguised form of love." - Sri Chinmoy**_

She sees the way he starts making eyes at her best friend, and it does something weird in the pit of her stomach. It's a feeling that's only cropped up a few times before in her life… Once - when he was hitting on Sandra in front of her. The second – when she found out he made out with Icky Vicky. Well, her cousin, Victoria. It kind of makes her want to throw up. She loathes the feeling, her eyes narrowing, a lump forming in her throat. She swallows back… whatever this might be, and forces herself to concentrate on her boyfriend, Sam. He's all that should matter. She shouldn't concern herself over someone as insignificant as _Derek_, anyway.

But… it's kind of a different story when Emily gets involved in the process. She should be protecting her best friend against vile and annoying creatures like her stepbrother, so she confronts him. When she finds out Derek is only going out with Emily to bug _her,_ it makes her blood boil.

How could he just _know _that him dating Emily would be her weakness? She's been doing an excellent job at dealing with or at least avoiding his obnoxious pranks and schemes. Her going out with Sam sort of halted his ridiculous ways…

OH. So this must be some twisted way at getting revenge for stealing _his_ best friend! She snoops on Derek and Emily's date, and stops them right before they kiss. It turns out that the whole thing was a scam, but she still can't shake that feeling of… weirdness she gets when she sees her stepbrother with another girl…

* * *

**Counseling Report – Paul Greeby**

**11/17/05**

**Student Name:** Casey McDonald

**Grade:** 9

**Reason for appointment:** relationship troubles

In only a five minute session, Casey cried about her boyfriend and her having a fight, received a text message from him, and then suddenly was fine with their situation, leaving my office in a state of jubilee. Their on/off relationship seems to be fairly normal for high school, but I'm worried that it might be affecting… others in a negative way.

* * *

**Counseling Report – Paul Greeby**

**11/18/05**

**Student Name:** Derek Venturi

**Grade:** 9

**Reason for appointment:** Casey McDonald

It seems the tables have turned and Derek has decided to come visit me. I was rather shocked with his surprise appearance at first, but it turns out that Derek is very concerned over Sam and Casey breaking up and getting back together constantly. He seems to have some ulterior motives for them staying together, but I was able to sense from our short conversation that he's not very comfortable with his stepsister dating his best friend. I would recommend Derek some of the same materials I've shared with Casey, but I have a sneaking suspicion that he won't be checking them out. Hopefully he'll visit with me in the future and we can further this mission to uncover some feelings he seems to be masking.

* * *

_**Playlist D**_

_**Song**__ Don't Stop Looking __**Artist **__Alex Roots __**Plays**__ 144 _

_Got my heart on my sleeve_

_Got my head in the clouds_

_Got my legs in the crowd _

_And I'm walking away_

_I've fallen in love _

_With the way that you smile_

_You've got unusual style_

_You don't play it safe_

_I know I catch your eye_

_But don't you understand it's too hard to try?_

_And don't you understand I'm too late_

_To try and pluck up the courage and cry-_

_Don't stop looking and I'll be okay_

_It's not the same as kissing you _

_But that's how it will stay_

_So don't stop looking and I'll be okay_

_It's not the same as holding you _

_But it will do today_

_You're gonna be hurt_

_If you don't want to flirt_

_But I'll suffer in silence_

_I'll be looking your way_

_I look like I'm strong_

_But I can't keep it for long_

_So when my eyes say come on_

_Baby, come and say hey_

_Time is running out_

_So, come on make your move and look around_

_Every hour, minute, second that's gone_

_Is a second too long_

_So baby, come on, come on!_

_Don't stop looking and I'll be okay_

_It's not the same as kissing you _

_But that's how it will stay_

_So don't stop looking and I'll be okay_

_It's not the same as holding you_

_But it will do today…_

_

* * *

_

He likes it best when they're both not dating anybody. When she ends things with Sam for good, he can finally breathe a sigh of relief. They share a couple of pleasurable weeks of singlehood. Only a few days after her and Sam break up, she joins him in his band, much to both his enjoyment and chagrin. She becomes super annoying with her 'tasteful' musical direction, but he can't help but follow her orders since she is the only good singer he can find.

And by good, he means brilliant. He doesn't understand how someone can be so multi-talented and beautiful at the same time. (But it's not like he's going to tell _her _that!) She ends up surprising him, though. (As always.) During their performance, she whips off her hippie shirt and bandana and sings his song the way it's meant to be sung. He can't wipe the huge smile from his face as she dances across the stage, her hair swinging wildly in her face, her butt shaking cutely to the music. She _grinds _with him. Granted, his guitar kind of gets in the way a little bit, but holy hell, it's sexy.

They spend more time with each other when they're not seeing other people, and he secretly loves it. But then one day _dearest Cassandra _has to mess everything up. Lizzie brings home her soccer coach, and that's the end of singlehood in the McDonald-Venturi residence. It freaks him out more than anything when the coach, Scott, confesses that he's dating more than just Casey.

Oh ho. Oh ho ho. _This_ is not good. He goes temporarily insane for the next few days, debating whether or not to tell Casey about this jerk she's going out with. If he does, then she'll _know _that he cares. But if he doesn't, the girl he likes will be going out with the biggest prick ever.

He figures out a way to prank Scotto and reveal his true intentions to Casey at the same time. (Brilliant!) Scott's face is priceless when his other soccer sister dates show up, but he can't help but notice the way Casey seems to be crushed. He didn't exactly think about how much it would hurt her to know that her date was cheating…

Afterwards, she tries to do this whole 'feel-good family moment' crap, but he won't have any of it. He didn't crush Scott because he wanted to be a good brother. He did it because he genuinely didn't want Casey to go out with jerk… and because he was feeling rather jealous. He goes out with one of the girls that Scott had dated previously, just to make Casey feel a little of what he was feeling. Just to avoid that stupid so-called family bonding she wanted to have.

* * *

_KingOfBabes91_ _is signed on._

_AustenLvr is signed on._

_AustenLvr: _Derek?

_KingOfBabes91: _Oh my god, you stalker! How do you manage to log in at the same time as me? And why do you always have to ask if it's me? Um, it's obvious that it is.

_AustenLvr: _How was your date?

_KingOfBabes91:_ Why do you care? …Well if you must know, it was alright. I mean, she's hot and all. But I probably won't go out with her again.

_AustenLvr: _Why's that?

_KingOfBabes91:_ She was way too into herself. Like, seriously, I couldn't get a single word out. It was like talking to a real-life Barbie doll.

_AustenLvr: _Sounds a little like someone I know.

_KingOfBabes91: _Who? Scotty? Yeah, that moron thought he was the shit, didn't he?

_AustenLvr: _Der-ek! Watch your language!

_KingOfBabes91: _Sorrrrrrrrrrrrrrry, Miss. Priss. I'm only speaking the truth. Now, you going to tell me the real reason you got on here to talk to me? I'm pretty sure you don't give a rat's ass about my date. Oh, excuse me. I'm pretty sure you don't give a **darn**.

_AustenLvr:_ Well, I just wanted to thank you… again. That was a very noble thing to do.

_KingOfBabes91: _Ew, stop with the gratitude! You want me to take it all back?

_AustenLvr: _I'm serious! I don't know many guys who would have done that.

_KingOfBabes91: _You're… welcome. Ugh. I'm shuddering right now. I'll never do anything like that again thanks to you.

_AustenLvr: _Why did you do it, anyway?

_KingOfBabes91:_ Because… I was bored.

_AustenLvr:_ No, really.

_KingOfBabes91: _I didn't want you getting hurt by that jerk, okay? I can't afford to witness anymore tears, not after your relationship with Sam, or your freak out about failing grade 9, or your fake tears over our fake dog. Besides, he said I was… like him. And I'm not. I'm original. I'm Derek Venturi. If anything, he was like **me**. But even I wouldn't do something as stupid as he did. Well, I wouldn't get caught at least. Am I still talking? Good god.

_AustenLvr: _Well thanks for that, Der. And you're right. You're not like him at all.

_KingOfBabes91: _Glad you agree. Is it too late to take my 'you're welcome' back? Cuz all this sappiness is making me nauseas.

_AustenLvr: _Too late! Goodnight! :)

_AustenLvr has signed out._

_KingOfBabes91: _Damn it.

* * *

It's winter break and she's sitting at the kitchen table studying. Her books are spread out and she has a notebook and pen in hand, scribbling down everything she finds important. There are only a few days left before Christmas, but that doesn't stop her from cramming knowledge in her head.

Her stepbrother swivels past her with a sandwich in his hand. He shoves the entire thing in his mouth, pats her on the head, and heads for the door.

"Derek, where do you think you're going?" she hears George ask, and she rolls her eyes while she fixes her hair. Typical Derek, trying to leave the house without parental permission, on a Thursday night none the less! True, they don't have school the next day, but still…

"There's a party tonight at Pierce's house!" he proclaims, bits of sandwich flying out of his mouth, and she watches him slide his leather jacket on overtop his polo.

"Who gave you permission to go? And how, exactly, do you plan on getting there?"

"Uh… me, myself, and I. And… I'll take a bus. Or walk. It's not far." She can almost hear the smirk in his voice. She shakes her head. No way George is going to let him go.

The next few words that slip from George's mouth catch her by surprise. "Casey, can you come here?"

She looks up from her books and stares at her stepfather, open-mouthed. One of her eyebrows instinctively raises, and Derek mocks her behind his dad's back. She glares at him, dropping her pen and making her way over to the two of them.

"Yes?" she asks, her arms crossed across her chest. Derek imitates her pose.

"I need to ask you a favor…" George starts hesitantly, and her heart sort of drops in her chest. "I was wondering if you could go with Derek to the party to monitor him."

"What?" she shouts at the same time as her stepbrother, both of them looking thoroughly shocked. They start yelling at the same time.

"George, this will throw my whole study schedule off!"

"She _cannot _go to this party! She wasn't invited!"

"I'm not ready! I haven't got anything to wear for an… occasion like this."

"I can't have her holding me back while I'm trying to get my party on!"

"Don't you think Derek is old enough to look after himself? Okay, maybe not, but-"

"Keeners, grubbers, and klutzillas aren't on the guest list!"

"ENOUGH!" George's outburst is enough to make the both of them stop, and they're just standing there, their chests heaving in and out as they glare at each other, the focus turned from George to each other. Isn't that the way things always work?

"Casey, Derek will wait for you to get ready, and I'll give you the money to take a cab to and from the party." Derek opens his mouth to protest, but George silences him. "Derek, you are _not _ going to this party without her, so take your pick – party with Casey, or don't party at all."

Derek huffs and then rolls his eyes, trudging over to his chair and plopping down in it. "Go on, princess! Hurry up and get ready!" He waves a hand in her direction, and she sighs, running up the stairs to prepare herself.

She rummages through her closet, tossing aside sweaters and jeans. She figures if she's going to go to a party, she might as well dress for one. Besides, there might be a fair amount of cute guys there, and she has been in a dating slump ever since Sam and that whole Scott scandal.

She decides on a short red dress and some black leggings, something that's just been sitting in her closet forever. She wore it to one of her private school dances, and it hasn't been unleashed ever since. She puts on a bit of eye liner and lip gloss, lets her hair down, grabs her purse, and heads out.

Derek is waiting at the bottom of the stairs now, pacing impatiently. She can't help but feel like this is one of those top-of-the-stairs moments one has on their first date as she clears her throat and he stops to look up at her. She mentally curses herself for drawing his attention, fearing she might trip now as he stares intently at her, an unreadable look on his face. She gulps and makes her way down the stairs, unable to avoid his gaze. His mouth is agape, his eyes shimmering in the light, and a small smile forms on her face.

He snaps out of his trance when she makes it to the bottom, and he shouts "we're out!" to George, who is in another room at this point. She wrinkles her nose and covers her ears, his shout echoing in her ear.

"Come on, Spacey." He gestures to the door with his head, and they hop in the cab that George undoubtedly rented for them.

The car ride over to the party is full of awkward silence. She blushes furiously when she discovers Derek looking at her, doing a horrible job of concealing the fact that he was staring at her. The cab driver looks back in the rear view mirror at the pair of them, a smirk itching at the corners of his lips. "If you two want to talk, don't let my presence stop you." he says cheekily. But they don't talk. Not until they get out of the cab and she pays the man his money.

She sort of stops short and stares at Pierce's house, aglow with Christmas lights, music blasting from the premises. She's intimidated, never having been to a _real_ party. Sure, there was that horrible one that Derek threw, but this is different.

Derek nudges her in the back. "Come on, Case. What are you waiting for?" She continues to stare straight ahead. He breathes out, and she watches the steam from his breath circle in the cold night air and float away. It kind of makes her want to write a poem. She wishes she was back home.

But then Derek is taking her arm and leading her inside. "Honestly." she hears him whisper under his breath, and she leans into his side, his presence making her more comfortable.

Shouts of "hey, Derek!" and proclamations of joy can be heard as she and her stepbrother enter the party. Someone instantly hands her a red cup, and she smiles nervously, tilting the cup up to her lips-

"Whoa, Casey, slow down there!" Derek takes the cup from her and tosses it in the nearest garbage can. "Don't drink that." he says, shaking his head at her. She nods as he leads her through the crowd to the back where Sam and Ralph are leaning against a couple of bookshelves.

"Yo, Der! You made it!" Ralph gives his friend a high five and then Sam greets him the same way. She's still clutching to Derek's arm for dear life. "And you brought… Casey?"

"Nice dress." Sam says, and she smiles at him, glad that they resolved their differences and they can still be friends.

"Ew." Derek says. "Don't tell me you two are getting back together."

"No!" both her and Sam say at the same time, and she shoots a look of disgust her stepbrother's way.

"Thank god." Derek wriggles out of her grasp. "You can let go now, leech. I got you through the hardest part of the night. Just don't take any more drinks, okay?"

She nods, and he stares at her, his expression clearly reading 'get lost.' She purses her lips and walks away, sitting awkwardly on a couch currently half-occupied by an enthusiastic couple.

About ten minutes later she gets asked to dance by some blonde boy wearing an argyle sweater. She obliges, happy to get away from the boy and girl making out beside her by any means possible. Halfway through the song, she notices Derek staring at her, yet again, his eyebrows furrowed and his nostrils flared.

She doesn't quite know what to make of his behaviour. One moment he's shaking her off like she means nothing to him, and the next he's making eyes at her like she belongs to him or something. She breaks away from her dance partner, excusing herself to the bathroom that she has no clue of its location.

Clutching her spinning head, she finds the bathroom and locks herself inside, breathing heavily. She knows she's attracted to Derek. That was already established the first time she met him. But she can't do this. She can't have feelings for him, and he _definitely _can't have feelings for her. Why would he? She isn't his type… if he even has a type. But he was attracted to her cousin, who looks so much like her…

So why doesn't he _do_ something? Oh, right, that's a stupid question. The same reason she doesn't do anything. They're step_siblings_, for goodness sake. She can't just make a move on her _brother_. Okay, so he's not her brother. But the way society views them, they might as well be-

She nearly shrieks as someone pounds on the door, her heart jumping out of her chest, her thoughts interrupted. "Just a minute!" she yells, hoarsely. She takes some toilet paper and dabs her forehead which she just now realizes is dripping with sweat.

"Gross." she mumbles, tossing the tissue and fanning herself with her hand. She takes a few breaths in and out, and calmly makes her way out of the bathroom to find Derek.

She finds him in the same place he was last time, chatting with Ralph. Sam seems to have left to dance with someone. A girl named Amanda from her bio class brushes past her and smiles shyly at Ralph, offering her hand to him. "See ya, D!" Ralph shouts over the music, and suddenly she's left to uncomfortably stand with her stepbrother.

"Why aren't you dancing?" she asks after a while, avoiding his gaze.

"I didn't want to." he says nonchalantly, leaning against the back wall. "Why aren't _you_ dancing?" he turns the question back on her.

"_Because you were staring at me with a jealous gleam in your eye!" _she wants to say, but instead all that comes out is: "I got tired."

A slow song starts playing, and all the couples in the room situate themselves in a more appropriate stance. She bites her lip. This is so… awkward.

"Well, then…" he says slowly, and suddenly she feels a hand on her waist, pulling her close to him. Her heart starts racing, and she protests a bit, mainly because she's scared.

"Derek…" she breathes out, and he only presses her closer to his chest.

"Don't say anything." he whispers in her ear, and she tries to steady her breathing, her arms finding their way around his neck. She closes her eyes and leans further into him, if that's even possible. He rests his chin on the top of her head, and they sway in time to the music.

She can feel his heart racing wildly against her cheek, and she knows hers is doing the exact same thing. She wants to cry, not because she's sad, but because she's happy. Never did she think she would find herself in his arms, but it's the most wonderful feeling in the entire world.

He pulls back a little to look at her, and then his eyes wander upwards. Mistletoe. "_How cliché_," she thinks, but she's not going to complain as Derek leans down, their faces so close she can almost taste his breath upon her tongue… She closes her eyes, and a tear slips down her face. She wonders if this is the moment…

But then she feels his lips pressing firmly into her cheek, hears him whisper "Merry Christmas, Case," and she opens her eyes and he's gone. Her stomach drops and she wants to cry, but she holds back the sad tears that she knows are coming. She pushes past the throngs of still-dancing couples and runs outside, taking in shallow breaths of winter air.

Of course he couldn't - wouldn't do anything. They can't… be together, and she realizes she must accept this, even if that means her heart breaking. Because she's pretty sure that is what's happening right now. She could get another boyfriend, pretend, distract herself from the boy she really wants. It wouldn't be that hard. She thinks she's stupid anyway for liking Derek. It contradicts her laws of chivalry and morality… But he's… UGH.

She groans out loud and kicks at a rock in the middle of the front yard. Instantly she regrets this decision, and she yells out "ouch!" as she stubs her toe. She clutches her foot and hops around on one leg.

"Nice one, Klutzilla."

She stops as she realizes Derek was watching her from the curb the whole time. Her face goes red, but he pats the sidewalk beside him, and she limps over to him.

"I called a cab. They should be coming soon." he says to her, never really looking at her.

"Kay." she says simply, massaging her pulsing toe.

"That better not be broken." he says, looking down at her foot. "I don't want to have to make a midnight trip to the hospital."

She can tell that he's trying to joke around, but something is different in his voice, deflated. "I don't think it is." she replies.

"Good." he says softly, and then he's inching closer to her and putting his arm around her shoulders. She has no clue what any of this means, but she leans her head against his shoulder anyway, happy for the warmth and glad that he's not completely opposed to touching her now.

They stay like this until the cab comes, and he opens the door for her, much to her surprise.

They never mention this party or their dance again. She takes it for what it was – one night of bliss before they have to go back to the painful reality of being stepsiblings.

But she thinks she's figured him out a little bit more.

And if it wasn't obvious before that they both like each other, it _certainly _is now.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Wow, you guys. Your feedback for the last chapter was so incredibly amazing. I cannot thank you enough for all of the wonderful things you said, and I'm so pleased this story is going over so well. The reason I'm updating at four in the morning is because I'm going away for a week, and I didn't know if I'd get the opportunity otherwise. I promise to get back to all of your reviews eventually, if not this week! Thanks again, and I hope you like this chapter and take the time to review!**

**PS: I promise to get to Detour ASAP.**

* * *

_**Chapter 4: **__**"**__**Love sees sharply, hatred sees even more sharp, but jealousy sees the sharpest for it is love and hate at the same time**__**." – Arab Proverb**_

School starts back up again after winter break, and she's thrown into a torrent of emotions. She finds herself thinking about him way more often, the softness of his lips against her cheek, the smell of his leather jacket mixed with his breath and some sort of cologne. He ups the ante of their relationship, pranking and provoking her way more often. In return, she does everything she can in order to gain his attention back.

The perfect opportunity arises when their school welcomes a new principal, Lassiter. Derek has just finished emptying her entire wardrobe of clothing, and she is forced to wear his clothes and deodorant to school, 'forced' being a loose term here. She gets him back by tricking the student body and Lassiter into thinking he stuck all of the principal's office décor up on the school roof.

She also saves his butt from expulsion when no one believes he _didn't _do it.

Their games only continue when they decide to make a bet. She dresses in punk apparel to try and attract the interest of Trevor, a boy she bet Derek she could get a date with. Derek does everything in his power to prevent their date, and she has to wonder if he's merely doing it because he doesn't want to do chores, or he _really_ doesn't want her going out with Trevor.

She's happy for the distractions, glad that they can still interact without anything… romantic going on. She knows that could never happen, but there's still a lot of physicality, a lot of flirting, and a lot of time spent together. She takes out her sexual frustrations on him through the form of bets and pranks, and it works. It's just their relationship, and she learns to accept this.

She can deal with not _being_ with him when he's not with anyone else. Her whole world seems to flip upside down when _Kendra _comes along.

* * *

**Counseling Report – Paul Greeby**

**3/9/06**

**Student Name:** Casey McDonald

**Grade:** 9

**Reason for appointment:** Derek Venturi

It seems that Derek has taken an interest in a girl other than Casey, and she is not liking this in the slightest. She has managed to convince Derek that this girl is into more mature guys, and he has made a transformation because of this. Casey informed me that the girl actually liked Derek to begin with, even with his 'immaturity,' and I believe she is, in a way, attempting to sabotage Derek's efforts to win this girl over. I made sure to reprimand her for messing with her stepbrother's mind, but I can't help but think there is something more complex going on here… Jealousy, perhaps? It is not my duty to suggest this, though, because this would be deemed unsuitable. Hopefully Casey will figure out her feelings for herself.

* * *

She's blonde, pretty, and popular. He couldn't ask for anything more. (Well, except Casey, of course.) As soon as he sees Kendra making eyes at him, he knows it's the perfect opportunity for a distraction. This whole _thing_ with Casey… Yeah, it ain't working, and he needs something to prevent him from making a move on his step_sister._ Kendra just so happens to be the ideal barrier between him and Casey.

He doesn't exactly realize how much his liking Kendra would affect Casey, though. (Then again, when does he _ever_ think things through?) He can see her heart breaking right in front of him, and it makes him hate himself for not being able to practice some self-control. If she wasn't so darn _irresistible,_ he might be able to avoid this whole thing with Kendra and just continue with their 'fighting.' But he can't. He can't stand there in front of her and not do something drastic. Having a girlfriend is the only solution he can come up with besides avoiding Casey all-together, which is something he _definitely _doesn't want to do.

"Do you actually, really like Kendra?" she asks him one day, and he can see tears forming in her eyes, hear the hurt in her words. He brushes it off like it's no big deal. He gets together with Kendra the next day. He hates himself even more.

He finds an inadvertent way to make it up to Casey. When her biological dad, Dennis, comes from New York to visit, he can see how much he means to her. Dennis is about to catch the flight back to New York without really spending any time with his daughter or saying goodbye when he decides to interfere and call. He watches from the top of the stairs as Dennis comes back and hugs Casey. He smiles, hoping that what he did can somewhat make up for the whole Kendra situation. Even if Casey never finds out that he was the one who called her dad, he still feels a little bit better.

When his _oh-so-lovely_ girlfriend decides to set Casey up on a date, he kind of freaks. First of all, Kendra-Casey interaction should be kept to a minimum, for the sake of Casey's feelings, of course. Second of all, nuh uh. He does _not_ want Casey to have a boyfriend. That was not part of this deal he made… with himself.

Kendra arranges a party sort of deal in order for potential bachelors to show up and see Casey in a 'natural' setting. Which, _ha_, that's a laugh, considering a party is probably the least natural place for Casey to _ever_ be. He doesn't tell Kendra this, of course, but instead invites more people to help him keep his attention off of his stepsister's suitors.

Luckily for him, Kendra picks _horrible_ matches for Casey, and the night ends up being a disaster. He thinks he can breathe a sigh of relief… until Casey comes downstairs the next day at breakfast, raving about some _Max_ kid that accidentally walked into her room while looking for the bathroom.

His blood starts to boil as he realizes this is the _famous_ Max from the football team. Psh. Football is a girl's sport compared to hockey. And what kind of name is Max anyway? Is he a dog or something?

He says these things to Casey, and she simply glares at him, making a casual comment about how 'he probably has a girlfriend anyway,' and how 'she really doesn't expect anything to happen.'

He doesn't have anything to worry about… for now. But he still wishes that he didn't invite _anyone_ from the football team to that damn party…

* * *

_**Playlist D**_

_**Song **Untouched **Artist **The Veronicas **Plays **89_

_I can't lie_  
_I wanna get what I want_  
_Don't stop_  
_Give me what you got_  
_Cause I can't wait anymore_  
_Don't even talk about the consequence_  
_Cause right now you're the only thing that's making any sense to me_  
_And I don't give a damn what they say, what they think_  
_Cause you're the only one who's on my mind_  
_I'll never ever let you leave me_  
_I'll try to stop time for ever, never wanna hear you say goodbye_

_See you, breathe you, I want to be you_  
_You can take time_  
_To live the way you gotta live your life_  
_Give me all of you_  
_Don't be scared_  
_I'll see you through the loneliness of one more_  
_Don't even think about what's right or wrong, wrong or right_  
_'Cause in the end it's only you and me and no one else is gonna be around_  
_To answer all the questions left behind_  
_And you and I are meant to be so even if the world falls down today_  
_You've still got me to hold you up_  
_And I will never let you down_

_I feel so untouched_  
_And I want you so much_  
_That I just can't resist you_  
_It's not enough to say that I miss you_  
_I feel so untouched right now_  
_Need you so much somehow_  
_I can't forget you_  
_Been going crazy from the moment I met you_

* * *

"Woot! Summer vacay! What up, world? It's DVent!"

He bursts out of the classroom on his last day of grade 9, his spirits high, eager to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. He decides that nothing can bring him down on a glorious day like this. Not report card grades, not Kendra attempting to make plans with him, not _anything_. He sees Casey on his way out the door and he links arms with her, spinning her around in a circle.

"Are you psyched or what?" he asks her, and she's just staring at him like he's insane. He stops short, still dizzy from their little do-si-do. (Or is it because of their close contact?)

"No, I'm not 'psyched!' I got a B in gym class! I have to go talk to Mr. Glover about this right now!" She snatches her arm away from him and proceeds down the hallway in the opposite direction of the exit.

He groans, swinging around and following her, knowing he will probably regret this later. (Oh, the sacrifices he makes for his stepsister!) He slips an arm around her shoulders and gently forces her to turn around.

"Come _on,_ Case! It's summer! We made it out of grade 9 alive! Don't worry about one stupid little mark. Why should gym matter, anyway?"

She struggles against his grip, but he doesn't let go, and she gives up rather quickly. He smirks to himself, thinking about how she must secretly like this position they're in.

"Derek, it'll bring down my GPA! It's not like I can afford-"

"Uni doesn't even care about your grades now. Loosen up, keener!" he interrupts her, squeezing her shoulder and bringing her closer to his side. "I'm sure you still have the highest marks in our grade." He leans in and whispers in her ear, "I even heard that _Tinker _got a C in algebra."

He watches the corners of her mouth turn up a little, and he knows he has her there. (Ha, score one for Venturi!) "I suppose… I could give it a rest… just this once." she says slowly, and he raises his eyebrows expectantly. "But what are you doing here with me? Don't you and Kendra have plans?"

The way she spits out his girlfriend's name is less than a little friendly. His heart sinks in his chest as she changes the subject. He almost wishes she would go back to talking about school.

"No, we don't, as a matter of fact." He says casually, leading Casey towards the exit. "I thought I'd spend some time with my lame-o stepsis, since I don't see you enough at home. I mean, unless you're opposed to that."

Casey squints at him, trying to decipher what he's up to, but he doesn't let any emotion show on his face. "Oh." she breathes out. "I guess that's alright with me. Just… no pranking, okay?"

"I wouldn't dream of it!" He winks at her, and then quickly grabs her wrist, pulling her out the door.

"Der-ek! What're you-"

"It's not a prank, I swear!" he yells over her, guiding her to the side of their school. They stop in front of a stair ladder attached to the building. He lets go of her and places a hand on one of the steps, pulling himself up. "I've always wanted to do this!"

She gasps, realizing exactly what it is that he's doing, and she takes a step backwards. "No way." she says, crossing her arms. "Do you want to get expelled?"

He looks down at her, rolling his eyes. "Come on, we're out of school! They can't expel us now!"

"Okay, then do you want to get arrested?" she practically shouts at him.

"Shh, keep it down!" he hushes her. "I wasn't planning on getting caught! But if you aren't quiet, then we _will _get in trouble!"

She shifts on her feet and bites her lip. "I thought you wanted to get _away _from school, not stay here even longer and delay your summer vacation!"

"This is different, Case." he argues with her. "Now, get over here. I can't do this by myself! That would be far too boring. Live a little!" He holds out his hand and gestures for her to approach him.

She sighs, running her tongue over the bottom of her teeth. "Fine!" She walks towards him and he smiles, climbing up further with her right behind him. "I cannot believe I'm doing this." he hears her say under her breath. He chuckles.

"Enjoying the view?" he asks, and he feels her hit his leg, shouting her signature 'Der-ek' once again.

"You missed!" he laughs, indicating his butt before hoisting himself up and over the top of the building and onto the roof. He turns around and offers his hand to her. She looks up at him, blushing, and then places her hand in his.

"Thanks." she mumbles when he helps her up. She quickly lets go of his hand and occupies herself with brushing her shorts off.

"Dude, this is awesome." he says, standing back to admire the scenery. He watches the rest of the student body board the buses and head home. He then realizes that their only way of getting home is to walk. _Crap._ He should've thought of that beforehand.

"I wonder how Lassiter got all of the furniture off of here." Casey's words interrupt his thinking process. She's staring over the edge of the building, and he kind of wants to pull her away, keep her safe. He shakes the thought from his mind.

"I wonder how Tinker got all of it _up _here. He's such a wimp." He's surprised when he hears a giggle erupt from Casey's lips. He smiles back at her. She's taking this whole act of rebellion a lot better than he expected.

She leaves the edge (thank god) and sits down on the roof, leaning back on her elbows.

"What are you doing?" he asks, sitting down next to her.

"Cloud gazing." she says, her blue eyes never leaving the sky. "Haven't you ever-"

"No way. So lame." he answers straight away, daring to lean back beside her.

"Shut up. It is not." she nudges him, and then puts her arms behind her head, lying down. "Didn't you ever try to find shapes in them when you were a kid?"

"Maybe. But I'm not a kid anymore."

Her eyes are sparkling in the sunlight. Her hair is blowing in her face from the light breeze. He wants to lean down, brush her hair away, and kiss her.

"Just try it." she whispers, and he lies down as well, their elbows grazing slightly. He would only do this for her.

They spend the next half hour pointing out shapes they see in the clouds. She occasionally shoves him when he points out inappropriate things, but he really enjoys himself. He enjoys just _being _with her, something he can't exactly say for the majority of people he knows, including his girlfriend.

They eventually climb down when she announces that she has plans with Emily later on. The walk home takes a long time, but he finds himself wishing it were longer as their steps fall in sync and they talk and argue about everything.

She asks to see his report card and he hands it over begrudgingly, but is taken aback when she looks it over and gives it back to him, merely saying "good job in gym." They smile at each other and she whips out her report card, looking resentfully at the 'B' mark.

"Want to trade?" she asks snarkily, waving her paper in front of his face.

"You bet I do!" he snatches the paper from her and runs off with it, and she's left to chase him the rest of the way home, both of them breathless from laughing when they arrive.

They never mention cloud gazing on top of the school roof or walking home together ever again. But he starts to take more of an interest in the things _she_ likes, and he realizes that, heck, half of them aren't bad.

* * *

_AustenLvr is signed on._

_KingofBabes91 is signed on._

_KingofBabes91: _Casey?

_AustenLvr: _Really, Derek?

_KingofBabes91: _Haha, I've always wanted to do that. ;)

_AustenLvr: _Don't you have anything better to do on a summer night other than harassing me over MSN?

_KingofBabes91:_ Like….. what?

_AustenLvr: _You and Kendra haven't gone out on a date in a long time…

_KingofBabes91: _Blech. Why do you always bring her up?

_AustenLvr: _She's your girlfriend, and you aren't exactly treating her like she is! If you hate spending time with her, why don't you just break up with her?

_KingofBabes91: _Because. That involves tears. And you **know **how much I hate that! I'm waiting for her to break up with me.

_AustenLvr: _You are so infuriating. Why did you even go out with her in the first place? You are obviously not ready to be in a relationship, nor do you seem to actually want a girlfriend.

_KingofBabes911: _Hey, what is **that **supposed to mean? I am perfectly capable of maintaining a relationship. Besides, look who's talking! Oh, Sammy, I love you! Sammy, how dare you! We are so over! Sammy, take me back! I can't live without you! Sammy, I'm sorry, but I think we're better off as friends.

_AustenLvr: _… I will chose to ignore your analysis of my relationship with Sam because I am the more mature adolescent in this situation. If you're so adamant about the fact that you can keep a girlfriend, why don't you prove it?

_KingofBabes91: _By doing what? PS: That's a good one.

_AustenLvr: _ By, hmm, let's see… not neglecting Kendra! PS: It wasn't a joke, Der.

_KingofBabes91: _So, let me get this straight. You **want** me to spend more time with Kendra in order to prove that I can be a good boyfriend? Aw, but aren't you going to miss our chatting time together? ;)

_AustenLvr: _I suppose… yeah. You should show her that you actually care. Or break up with her. Either way. Because I honestly don't see the point of having a girlfriend if you're just going to throw her under the bus or act like she doesn't exist. Of course I'm not going to miss you.

_KingofBabes91: _I guess you're right. I'll go call her and see if she's doing anything.

_AustenLvr: _Oh… okay.

_KingofBabes91: _See ya. Have fun doing whatever grubbers do on summer nights!

_KingofBabes91 has signed out._

_AustenLvr:_ You mean sitting here and being lonely? Right.

* * *

If he has Kendra, why can't she have someone? She's going after Max next school year, and there's nothing that can change her mind.

Except maybe him breaking up with Kendra. Permanently.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Sorry it took so long for me to get this up! I keep going back and adding things! Haha, I get way inspired for this story. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Please review if you have the time! Thanks! I love you guys.**

* * *

_**Chapter 5: **__**"If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us." – Hermann Hesse**_

_AustenLvr is signed on. _

_KingofBabes91 is signed on._

_AustenLvr:_ You owe me big time.

_KingofBabes91: _Jeez, ambush me, why don't you? What, no 'Derek?' greeting this time?

_AustenLvr:_ I'm not in a funny mood, Derek.

_KingofBabes91:_ Who said I was in a funny mood?

_AustenLvr: _Seriously, I looked like an idiot in front of Max, and it was all your fault, with your stupid flingflongs and… stuff.

_KingofBabes91:_ Excuse me? You were the one that believed me! Gullible, much?

_AustenLvr:_ Derek… please.

_KingofBabes91:_ Ugh. Name your price.

_AustenLvr:_ Write me a poem.

_KingofBabes91:_ You have **got **to be kidding me.

_AustenLvr:_ I'm not kidding, Derek! Write me a poem expressing why you feel the need to be so incredibly horrible to me.

_KingofBabes91: _Are you okay? Do you have a fever or something? Need me to get you some medicine?

_AustenLvr:_ I know. Derek Venturi doesn't write poems. Ever. But can't you at least try, just this once? It might help you convey feelings that you are pushing aside or bottling up inside!

_KingofBabes91: _You must be insane, Case. I don't even think I have feelings, to tell you the truth.

_AustenLvr:_ Well I can't disagree with you on that one.

_KingofBabes91: _Maybe I am 'so incredibly horrible to you' because it's fun? Ever think about that?

_AustenLvr:_ I just don't know why you go out of your way to make my life miserable! Doesn't it take more effort to come up with these complicated plots and diabolical schemes rather than just… leave me alone? I thought you were supposed to be lazy…

_KingofBabes91: _I… Case… You've got to understand that not everything I do has to have a reason or motive behind it. I'm weird, okay? I do things backwards sometimes, and as much as I hate doing schoolwork and planning for school, I find that it gives me a thrill to be a practical joker. I don't know why.

_AustenLvr:_ Okay… but why am I your victim?

_KingofBabes91:_ Because out of all the people I could prank… your reaction is the best. ;)

_AustenLvr:_ Right. Well… why do you always try to sabotage my dates?

_KingofBabes91: _What? Since when has that happened before today?

_AustenLvr:_ Hmm, let's think. Sam. Trevor. Scott. Telling Kendra that the perfect guy for me would be a 'total freak.' Yeah, I know about that.

_KingofBabes91: _Oh, that's easy. Sam was my best friend. Male Code! If you went out with Trevor, I would have to do your chores. Scott was a doucheface. And as for your last remark, I was joking, but Kendra just seemed to take it to heart!

_AustenLvr:_ Sure… So what about Max?

_KingofBabes91: _I don't like him.

_AustenLvr: _What?

_KingofBabes91: _Are you blind? I don't like him. I don't like any of the guys on the football team. They're a bunch of phonies with fake tans and gelled hair and plucked eyebrows. Oh wait… that's just Max.

_AustenLvr: _Derek! That's not even true… So you're telling me you did this as a joke on Max?

_KingofBabes91: _No, I'm telling you I did this because I didn't want him to like you. I don't want you to go out with him, Case.

_AustenLvr: _…Why, Der?

_KingofBabes91:_ It's so obvious he only likes you for your looks! What do you guys have in common? Nothing. You don't know anything about sports, and sports are his whole life. He lives in a rich neighbourhood and gets treated like an only child while you're here with four siblings. You like poetry and Shakespeare. He likes getting drunk at parties and wanking off in front of the TV while watching women's swimsuit competitions. Good enough reasons for you?

_AustenLvr:_ DER-EK! You are so insensitive! People don't have to have everything in common to like one another! And Max is a good guy, not the… **cow** that you make him out to be!

_KingofBabes91: _I wish I was lying, Case, but I've known Max since grade school. You can't base a relationship solely on mutual attraction! Where is it going to go? You guys are going to make out a few times, and once he realizes you don't want to go past first base until you're married, he'll break it off with you. Or, if he's willing to hold on because he knows he won't be able to get another girlfriend, the relationship will eventually fizzle out anyway. I don't like him, and I don't think you guys would make a good pair.

_AustenLvr: _Oh, so now **you're** giving me relationship advice? **This** coming from the boy who keeps running away from his girlfriend. What do you and Kendra have in common besides 'mutual attraction,' huh?

_KingofBabes91: _**NOTHING. **That's why our relationship isn't working! Look, I have a girlfriend because I'm Derek and because I like to have fun with girls. I don't take dating seriously. **You**, on the other hand, are looking for someone who could potentially be your husband. I know, Case. I know you, so don't even try to protest. Max is not looking to be anybody's husband. Hell, hardly any of the guys in high school are, except maybe Shlepper cuz he's a freak, but that's beside the point! You need to be smart and just not go out with this guy. Why would I tell you this if I didn't believe it? I'm trying to help you, and I know I haven't been the best… friend in the past, but for once, please just listen to me.

Oh, crap, Case. I have to go. Hockey practice starts in five minutes and I'm going to be late!

Just… think about it.

_KingofBabes91 has signed out._

_AustenLvr:_ Too bad I'm still going to date him… just because you told me not to.

* * *

_Okay. A poem. I can do this, right? I don't even know why the hell I'm doing this to begin with. It's not like I'm going to… show it to her or anything! To let out f-f-feelings. Oh god, I'm going to toss my cookies! This is not… Alright, here I go._

Casey

See

_Ha, I rhymed._

It's driving me craZY

What you do to ME

_Okay, this bites. Starting over._

You asked me why I sabotaged your date

Well it would help if I didn't harbour so much hate

For every single guy you seem to like

I just want them all to take a hike

Off a very large cliff and fall a pit

But this is kind of hard for me to admit

_Wow, that was the crappiest-ass thing I've ever read. Haiku?_

Casey McDonald

I want to kill all your dates

Insanely jealous

_No. Just. Dear lord, no._

**C** an you just not go out with anyone?

**A** re you trying to make me go insane?

**S** ucks that you're my freaking stepsister

**E** hhhhhhh.

**Y** es, you'll stop going out with Max?

_Not. I'm so done with this._

* * *

She's honestly surprised when he breaks up with Kendra. She doesn't believe that it's official until she sees them eat at separate lunch tables. At this point, however, Max has already asked her to be his girlfriend, and she's accepted his offer. Oh well, Max will serve as a good distraction in the mean time, and she really does like him. Sure, he's not as attractive or funny or smart as Derek, but he's far superior to most high school guys.

The only thing is… they argue. A lot. Kind of like her and Sam. Their first big fight occurs when one of Max's teammates decides to go after Derek, and Max doesn't do anything about it. _Of course. _Their first fight _would_ be about Derek.

She tracks down her stepbrother in the hallway, which isn't hard considering her Derek radar is supremely attuned at this point in time. He then reveals that he was bullied when he was in grade school, and she can hardly believe her ears. She never thought _Derek_ would be the one to get picked on. He makes her swear not to tell anyone or do anything about him fighting The Fridge, as he is so adequately nicknamed, but truthfully, she's scared to death.

She knows Derek isn't going to back down, because he may be smart when it comes to pranks and manipulation, but he lacks all common sense. The Fridge is clearly more capable than Derek, and she's worried he could get seriously injured. She's mad at her stupid boyfriend for not stopping his teammate. She's mad at her stupid stepbrother for not avoiding this situation. And she's mad at herself for not knowing what to do.

In a lucky turn of events, she ends up stopping the fight by yelling at The Fridge and more or less annoying him out of fighting Derek. She sees Max has come to try and prevent the entire state of affairs, and they don't even have to talk about their fight earlier. They reconcile easily and act like she _didn't _freak out on him over Derek.

* * *

**Counseling Report – Paul Greeby**

**9/21/06**

**Student Name: **Casey McDonald

**Grade:** 10

**Reason for appointment: **Derek Venturi

Casey's attempts to make me think she doesn't care for her stepbrother are in vain. It seems that Derek is having bullying problems, and Casey seems extremely worried for his wellbeing. Hopefully her talking to him tonight at home will help with the issue at hand. Their relationship seems to be developing rather nicely, though her new boyfriend Max may put a strain on things. I guess we will just have to wait and see.

* * *

A half an hour has passed since her school's successful athletic fair. She could hardly call it a Sir John Sparrow Thompson High Fair, though. If it wasn't for all of the McDonald-Venturi clan, there really wouldn't have been a fair at all. Everyone is long gone, including her boyfriend. Only their family remains to pack up the remnants.

She picks a wrapper up off the floor and looks up, noticing someone is missing from their crew. Of course Derek isn't there. He _would_ find a way to get out of the cleaning. She sees that her family is going a fine job without her help, so she quietly slips out the back door to locate her stepbrother.

She finds him sitting outside on the curb, his head in his hands, staring straight ahead as if deep in thought.

"Hey." she says cautiously. He looks up, and seeing that it's her, he smiles.

"Hey." He pats the ground next to him.

She rolls her eyes and walks over to him, taking aseat on the curb. "Get enough kisses during your booth duties tonight?" she asks, nudging him lightly.

He lingers in her touch far too long for it to be platonic. "I think I got a little _too _many kisses tonight! Case, have you noticed that not all the girls in our school are attractive?"

She laughs, throwing her head back. In her peripheral vision she sees him staring at her with a smile on his face. "You are so shallow." It doesn't come out as an insult. "I saw you over there at the booth, though. None of those kisses were more than a peck on the lips. No big deal, right?"

"Um, you obviously didn't see Brunhilda try to swoop in for some tongue action." He says, clearly mortified. She crinkles her nose and giggles.

"Well thanks. For the sacrifice. It really meant a lot to my mom."

"She _did_ make my clothes smell like the rain forest. I owed her one." Derek jokes. "You have a really great mom, Case. Don't take her for granted." he says slowly.

"She's your mom now, too." she says softly, and he laughs a little.

"Sort of. Well, she certainly cares a lot more for me than my real mom ever did."

"Der…" She trails off, wanting to ask him more but afraid of what his reaction might be. Instead she places a hand on his back and rub up and down. He doesn't pull away.

"Want to take a walk, Case?" he asks, his voice penetrating the quiet.

"Sure." She smiles. "Where are we going?"

"I figured we can walk home together." She nods and he stands up, offering his hand to her and pulling her up as well.

"I'll text Mom and let her know what we're doing." She slips her hand out of his to extract her phone from her pocket. She sends her mom a hasty message. _Derek and I are going to walk home. See you when we get back. Love you!_ She doesn't even care how odd it seems that Derek and her are cooperating. She's too wrapped up in the moment to think about how her mom might react to that.

Derek and she fall into sync. There is a silence between them, but it isn't awkward. She jumps when Derek speaks suddenly.

"My mom was always running off to bigger and grander things. She wanted upgrades, trips to exotic places, cruises, adventures… Dad could never keep up with her, and he was afraid he would never be good enough. Being tied down by three kids wasn't exactly my mom's idea of fun. She loved us, I know she did, but she would complain a lot. She was hardly around the house, and when she was, her and Dad were fighting constantly." She listens intently to him, wondering why he's sharing this but not daring to interrupt. He's willingly revealing feelings, and she is not going to let this opportunity pass her by.

"I wasn't a horrible student or anything. There were some classes I didn't do well in, but for the most part I got okay grades. But as they continued to fight, my grades got worse and worse. I thought… if Mom was mad at me for my grades, she wouldn't be mad at Dad anymore, that she would be distracted or something. The last thing I wanted was for them to split up, Case." He acknowledges her, and she knows that he was telling _her_ this, not just talking to himself. She loops her arm with his and they walk with arms linked, the sunset painting their view with brilliant shades of red, gold, and purple.

"What scares me the most is that I don't even miss her. After all that time I spent worrying as a kid about my mom and dad splitting up, and now I don't even miss my mom. I'm also scared that I'm starting to love Nora more." Her breath hitches in her throat when he tells her this. Unlike him, she does miss her dad, but she understands that feeling of replacement – of starting to love George more and more like a father.

Derek goes silent and she realizes he's done talking about the issue. She wishes she had some sort of advice to give him, but all she can think of is to tell him her problems now. "My dad cared about work more than he cared about Mom. He was never home. He thought he could make up for it by bringing her home gifts and expensive things, but you know my mom. She just wants to spend time with the people she loves. They just sort of… fell apart. They had nothing in common anymore."

She leans her head on Derek's shoulder as they walk, and her tears form in her eyes as she thinks about it. "When I was little I wanted to be just like him – rich, successful, powerful. But now I know that it's not worth it. All those things aren't worth anything if you have to give up the ones you love. He didn't just lose my mom. He lost all three of us."

"I'm sorry, Case." he says, and she feels pressure on the top of her head. She closes her eyes and holds her breath when she realizes that the pressure is from his lips. But it doesn't last long.

"I'm sorry too, Der." she breathes out, clutching his arm. They're about halfway home now, still holding onto each other.

"Case, what do we have in common?" Derek asks, and she looks up at him, baffled. Her heart skips a beat when she realizes what he's asking.

"Um… We both like to annoy the heck out of each other." she answers. Derek chuckles. "We like things to go our way. We're both incredibly determined. And stubborn. We're both _very_ stubborn."

"Not that much, huh?" he says, and she can detect a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Just enough." she whispers, her head finding his shoulder again.

They walk the rest of the way home in silence. One could probably guess by now that they never mention their confessions or this incident again.

* * *

He doesn't even attempt to get another girlfriend after Kendra because A) Kendra was freaking annoying, and B) he knows that he will be able to handle not _hitting_ _on _Casey when she has a boyfriend. Still, that doesn't stop him from spending a ridiculous amount of time with her.

When he finds out that they both got a job at Smelly Nelly's, he pretends like he's annoyed, but he's really just glad to have an excuse to be around her. Unfortunately for him, however, she absolutely _sucks_ at waitressing. Their manager is sort of a buttcheek who makes Casey really nervous. (He can tell when she's intimidated.) He quits when the manager yells at his stepsister in front of the customers at the restaurant, but Casey, being the _lovely,_ nice, virtuous person that she is, tells him to go back and get his job because he was really good at it. Truthfully, he could really use the money, so he obliges, though this means less time with her.

When she gets to produce a film for sociology class about their blended family, he's practically furious when she doesn't pick him as her partner. She _knows_ that he's good at directing and video editing, yet she picks Emily anyway. This just makes him thwart her plans of trying to turn the documentary into an episode of the Brady Bunch. He's supposed to be the Greg to her Marcia in this situation, but instead he refuses to be a part of her _feel-good_ family moment.

And yet, when the whole thing goes to pieces, he's there to pick everything up again. (Only for her.) The documentary ends up being a complete success due to his late night editing. He hands her the DVD before class, and their teacher shows it to the class on the TV. In the middle of the mini-movie, Casey turns around and gives him a look of amazement and shock. He just smiles at her. (Staying up until 3 AM was _so_ worth it.)

The school play rolls around, and he _has_ to try out or he's going to fail class, but his punishment ends up being much of a reward when he gets the huge part of the villain (hehe) _and_ gets to be with Casey every day during rehearsals. He notices some competition in this new guy, Noel, who seems to be making eyes at his stepsister, but thinks he's not much of a threat compared to oh-so-_hunky_ football player Maximillian.

Speaking of the jerk, he wasn't even going to show up for the play, but he surprises Casey and comes anyway, _Goddamnhim._ He thought this might have been an opportune time for a break up between the couple who have, astoundingly, been going out for quite a while, but then Max has to go and screw up everything. He sees Casey brush Noel off, and he can't help but have some sympathy for the guy.

Nevertheless, Max and Casey end up having another fight when Max ends up cheating off of Casey's test. Granted, _he_ did the same thing… Well, worse. He kind of _switched_ their tests, but it was only because he needed to pass or he wouldn't be able to play hockey! He tries to help her get a good mark on her re-write test that she agrees to take for his benefit, but _that _ends up being a fail of epic proportions.

He feels that he can't do anything right lately, and it starts to freak him out a little bit. He continues to get closer with Casey despite her 'taken' status, and he finds himself fantasizing about her _way_ more than he should. She's constantly on his mind, and he has nothing to distract himself from the fact that he really likes her. It doesn't help that she seems to want to spend more time with him too. He kind of starts hating his father for marrying Nora and making them stepsiblings.

But things aren't terrible, he supposes. Max really does keep him in check. Otherwise, he would probably be jumping on his stepsister in a heartbeat… which is just wrong. No, things aren't horrible.

Until the day his mom shows up, that is.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I love you guys, I love you guys, I love you guys. You never fail to disappoint me with your reviews. Please keep 'em coming! I love hearing what you have to say! **

**Just to let you know (so you don't get confused), I screwed with the timeline a lot in this chapter, because it wouldn't make sense otherwise. Derek and Casey are sophomores when they go to prom here, and Max is a junior. It will totally make sense in the long run, I promise. ;) Now, without further ado, Chapter 6!**

* * *

_**Chapter 6: **__**"You know that when I hate you, it is because I love you to a point of passion that unhinges my soul." – Julie de Lespinasse**_

_AustenLvr is signed on._

_KingofBabes91 is signed on. _

_KingofBabes91: _What up, Keeny?

_AustenLvr: _I don't want to talk to you.

_KingofBabes91: _Oh, come on. What's your problem with me today?

_AustenLvr:_ You had the opportunity to go to Spain… and you didn't take it.

_KingofBabes91: _You mean… you wanted me to go?

_AustenLvr:_ Of course I did! I am tired of your ridiculing and rudeness and… poems about my feet!

_KingofBabes91:_ So what was all that crying about, then?

_AustenLvr:_ …

_KingofBabes91:_ Admit it. You wanted me to stay. You **like** my picking on you.

_AustenLvr:_ I didn't want you to stay because I like your pranking.

_KingofBabes91:_ Then why? Because you'll miss my dashingly good looks? Because you can't live without my masculine charm? Because you need some eye candy to distract you from your hideous boyfriend every once in a while?

_AustenLvr:_ Because I'll miss **you,** you dickwad! God knows why, but I would miss you.

_KingofBabes91:_ I'd miss you too, Casey.

_AustenLvr:_ Are you being serious?

_KingofBabes91:_ Excuse me? Why would I put myself through the pain of saying something so… sentimental? I'm not lying this time, unfortunately.

_AustenLvr:_ Come say it to my face then.

_KingofBabes91:_ Um. No.

_AustenLvr:_ If you mean it, why can't you come tell me that you would have missed me? I think it would actually take **less** effort to say it out loud than to type it.

_KingofBabes91:_ Really, it would take more effort because that would require me moving from my oh-so-comfortable desk chair, making my way over to your room, exuding those agonizing words from my lips, only to make the long and difficult journey back to wear my rump was once seated.

_AustenLvr:_ It would take you all of five seconds! The only reason it would be **difficult** would be if the trek through your room involved a lot of tripping over random garbage, though that wouldn't surprise me.

_KingofBabes91:_ It's hard enough for me to type those words, let alone say them out loud. You have it in writing now. Shouldn't that be good enough for you?

_AustenLvr: _Fine. Forget it. Why don't you tell me why you'd miss me, then, huh?

_KingofBabes91:_ Oh, that sounds like **fun.** I can't explain why! You didn't exactly make an effort to explain why you would miss me, so why should I do so for you?

_AustenLvr:_ Hmm… your birthday is coming up, right?

_KingofBabes91:_ Wow, way to change the subject. Great segue there. Yeah. It is. What's it to you?

_AustenLvr:_ No need to get all defensive. I was thinking about making you a list of reasons why I'd miss you for your birthday, but now I'm thinking of changing my mind.

_KingofBabes91:_ Wait! I'm sorry for being a jerk… I have to confess that I'm a little curious… Although there better be a second part to that present because that would be totally lame if all you got me was a list.

_AustenLvr:_ I guess you'll just have to wait and see. ;)

_KingofBabes91:_ Hey, stop being so cryptic!

_AustenLvr has signed out._

_KingofBabes91:_ Balls.

* * *

**Reasons Why I Might Possibly Miss You If You Ended Up Going to Spain**

1. No one picks up on my witty banter quite like you.

2. As weird as this might sound, I can tell you almost anything without having to worry about you telling anyone else.

3. I know you'll understand whatever I tell you.

4. You make sure the fridge is always stocked with ice cream.

5. You can be insanely sweet at the best of times. I know you would _kill_ me if I ever said that to your face or confessed that to anyone, but don't worry. I won't.

6. I kind of like the stupid music you play, and sometimes when I hear it through my wall, I have fun dancing to it.

7. I always have something to talk about with Paul.

8. Who would sit across from me at the dinner table?

9. You're my automatic 'in' to any party.

10. You always end up eating the leftovers, so I'm never tempted by food.

11. Your hair products come in handy sometimes.

12. I'm never bored.

13. Who would I take my anger out on? Your arms make really great punching bags.

14. You know when you sing along with me when I'm in the shower, and I tell you that it really bothers me? It doesn't. Our duets are sometimes the highlight of my day.

15. Who would help me maintain the balance between being a keener/cool?

16. When we work together on school projects, somehow we end up getting the highest grades in the class.

17. When you smile, it makes me smile.

18. Our crazy, wacko, messed up family wouldn't be complete without you.

19. I don't even think I hate you anymore... Well, maybe a little. But I like you a lot more than I hate you.

20. I wouldn't have a best friend anymore.

* * *

She plans this huge surprise party for his 16th birthday, knowing that her list won't suffice for a present, considering it _is_ Derek. Emily _did _help, but she did most of the work. It's not like Emily knows Derek's favourite foods or music or people he'd want to be there.

So when he swoops in for a hug, thanking Emily for organizing the party, she sort of expects a hug from him as well. It crushes her when he backs away, holds out his hand, and shakes hers before dropping her arm unceremoniously back at her side.

She plays it off as nothing, smiling away as the rest of the night goes on, as George plays his birthday song to Derek, as D-Rock jams on. But before he can open any of his presents, she grabs her list and crumples it up, throwing it in the waste bin.

Christmas break rolls around, and she tries not to act too aloof towards him, but it still hurts whenever she thinks about him rejecting her hug. She's not horrible to him, but she treats him with a sort of indifference, not going out of her way to try and talk to him or be all buddy-buddy like she wrongly assumed they would be.

He comes to talk with her sometimes, but as soon as the subject of Max comes up, he's out the door in a heartbeat, making up excuses and clutching his fists angrily. She's mad at herself for staying with Max, but she knows that if she broke up with him, Derek still wouldn't try and pursue her in a romantic fashion. Besides, his reputation upholds him, and he wouldn't be caught _dead_ dating a girl like her, let alone a stepsister like her. She would only be setting herself up for heartbreak if she went for Derek, and so far, Max shows no signs of breaking her heart.

And Derek forgot about her list. He forgot all about it, and never once asked her if she truly made it for him. So that should be a sign, right? A sign indicating that all feelings of attraction towards Derek should be pushed aside and harnessed towards a greater purpose… like actually liking her boyfriend.

* * *

He doesn't forget about her list that she told him she was going to make for his birthday. He figures it was just a joke, but he still can't help but wonder what she would have wrote.

She continues to spend more and more time with Max, and the more she talks about her pathetic excuse for a boyfriend, the more he gets pissed off. He needs to find a distraction and _fast,_ but nothing can quite compete with the star athlete, quarterback, most popular guy in grade 11 type.

Then he sees Sally, a new waitress at Smelly Nelly's, and he realizes his greatest wishes are fulfilled. She's smart, attractive, funny, and nice. _Hello_ blonde version of Casey!

It's just a shame that she just so happens to be the _only_ girl in all of Ontario – scratch that – Canada that isn't attracted to him. He doesn't buy into her story of not being able to get over her ex, Patrick. He thinks she just doesn't want to go out with him. He's always up for a challenge, however, and if he manages to win Sally over, then she will be the perfect distraction/method of making Casey jealous.

* * *

_**Playlist D**_

_**Song**__ Animal __**Artist**__ Neon Trees __**Plays**__ 36_

_Here we go again, I kinda want to be more than friends__  
__So take it easy on me, I'm afraid you're never satisfied__  
__Here we go again, we're sick like animals, we play pretend__  
__You're just a cannibal and I'm afraid I won't get out alive__  
__No, I won't sleep tonight_

_Oh, oh, I want some more__  
__Oh, oh, what are you waiting for?__  
__Take a bite of my heart tonight_

_Oh, oh, I want some more__  
__Oh, oh, what are you waiting for?__  
__What are you waiting for?__  
__Say goodbye to my heart tonight_

_Here we are again, I feel the chemicals kicking in__  
__It's getting heavy and I want to run and hide__  
__I want to run and hide__  
__I do it every time, you're killing me now__  
__And I won't be denied by you, the animal inside of you_

_Oh, oh, I want some more__  
__Oh, oh, what are you waiting for?__  
__Take a bite of my heart tonight_

_

* * *

_

Her heart races when she finds out she's on the candidate list for junior Prom Queen. She doesn't know how it's possible, seeing how she's a sophomore, but Max reassures her that since she's his date, it's totally fine.

She doesn't miss the name 'Derek Venturi' in the list for male candidates, however. She rolls her eyes, wondering how on _earth_ he could have made the list, seeing how he wasn't even planning on going. Some junior girl with a crush on him must have nominated him.

Derek _does_ go to prom, however, with his new _gorgeous, flawless_ friend Sally, much to her dismay. He ends up ruining her night and rescuing her night at the same time, ripping her dress but heroically returning to her side with a new one.

She feels awkward entering the prom with Derek, almost as if this is the way things _should_ be, but she pushes those thoughts aside and tries to enjoy the night with Max.

She ends up winning Prom Queen and Max gets Prom King. The night is _perfect_ – exactly how prom should be. All of her wildest fantasies she had growing up – of her prince sweeping her off her feet and dancing the night away – they all seem to come true as she spins around in Max's arms.

The fairy tales don't mention what happens to Cinderella when she has to use the restroom though, and she finds herself having to go in the middle of a song.

She slips out of Max's grip, smiling and hurrying to the bathroom so that she can resume her dancing soon. She's almost there when she hears Amy and some of the other junior cheerleaders talking about her best friend.

"Thank god that annoying Emily Davis girl isn't bothering us anymore. She will do _anything_ to get into the popular group. At least that whole announcement spiel will hold her over."

She gasps and trips, falling straight into the ballot table. It tips over and the box of votes goes flying up in the air, its contents spilling everywhere.

"Oh, jeez! I'm so sorry!" she says, bending over to help Amy pick up all the little slips of paper. Her cheeks grow red as she hurriedly gathers up the papers in her arms, but she stops short when she notices what is written on all of them.

_Derek Venturi._ She tosses that one into the box and picks up another. _Derek Venturi._ Another. _Derek Venturi. DerekVenturi. Derek Venturi. _All _Derek Venturi!_

Her hands shake as she stuffs the ballot box, deciding to confront Amy about what is going on. "Um, all of these say Derek." she says slowly, hoping that her assumptions are wrong. "Did… did someone rig the results?"

"Well, yeah." Amy blows a bubble with her gum and pops it, looking at her like she's crazy. "We couldn't have two sophomores winning at a _junior_ prom, could we?"

"No, I guess not." she says, her voice faltering as she tries to remember to breathe. "Did Max know about this?"

"Why don't you go ask him?" Amy raises her eyebrows, and she turns around, seeing her boyfriend heading towards her, a smile on his face.

"Looks like you got a little lost on your way to the bathroom, Casey." he says, chuckling.

"Yeah, and she somehow managed to run into the ballot table as well." Amy says, rather rudely, and she takes Max's arm, dragging him away from her.

"Sorry, I was just having a nice little _chat_ with Amy." she says sarcastically. "I'm going to the bathroom now." He gives her an impatient look. "I'll be right back, I promise!"

"Sure." He sighs and busies himself with talking to one of the other guys on the football team.

She slips through the crowd, but she's not headed for the bathroom. No. She needs to find her stepbrother.

She finds him chatting with Sally, and her stomach twists in knots before she works up the courage to tap him on his shoulder.

He turns around, sees that it's her, and frowns. _Lovely._ She gives him a distressed look, however, and his gaze softens. "What's up?" he asks.

"I need to talk to you." she says, and then looks over his shoulder at his date standing there awkwardly. "Sorry, Sally. Do you mind if I steal him away from you for a bit?"

Sally shrugs. "Go right ahead." She walks over to where Sheldon and Emily are standing and strikes up a conversation with them.

"What is all _this _about?" Derek says once she's out of earshot. "You owe me, big time."

"You're supposed to be Prom King." she says, getting straight to the point, ignoring his sentiments. "Amy… the prom committee… they didn't want two sophomores to win, so they just…"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down." Derek puts his hands on her shoulders, trying to calm her. It works a little, her breathing slowing. "Emily didn't know about this? She announced the winners."

"They just let her do that because she was really enthused about this whole thing and they wanted to get her out of their hair. I heard Amy talking earlier-"

"Why are you telling me this?" Derek asks, interrupting her. He releases her from his grip and stares her in the eyes, searching for an answer. "You got your perfect night. You won Prom Queen, and Max, your _boyfriend_, won Prom King. Where do I fit in this equation?"

She looks at him, taken aback. "I just thought you'd have a right to know." she says softly. "You deserve it. I didn't… want your popularity to be questionable."

His eyebrows furrow as he looks at her in confusion, but then she sees a smile itch at the corner of his lips. "You want to get out of here?"

She shakes her head slightly, wondering if she heard him correctly. "What?"

"Do you want to leave?" he asks, pronouncing each word with clarity so she doesn't miss what he's saying.

"I heard you the first time." She purses her lips. "Just… why?"

"Well, dances aren't really my scene, I'm a little pissed that I didn't get to go up on that stage and claim my glory, and you _seriously_ look like you could use some fresh air. You okay?"

"I'm… I'm kind of mad." she clutches her head. "This is wrong. _You_ should have been up there with me. I'm sorry Der-"

"Hey, don't apologize. It's not your fault." he reaches out to grab her hand and pat it with his free one. The gesture is warm, sweet, and makes her feel ten times more comfortable and treasured than anything Max has done for her tonight.

She realizes that this night was so stupid. She expected so much because it's _prom_ and it's made out to be one of the best nights of a teenage girl's night. She made herself think that she was going with the perfect guy, when really the one she wants is right in front of her. She is so dumb…

"I want to leave." she says suddenly, placing her other hand on top of his, like this is some whirlwind romance and this is the dramatic scene where the leads confess their love to one another. "This night is… nothing like I expected and I just want to get out of here."

"Well then, let's ditch our dates and leave this dump together."

"Won't Sally be upset?"

"Nah. She didn't really want to come here in the first place, and I'm good at making up excuses." He winks at her. She blushes. "Now you just have to get rid of Max somehow."

"Right."

"I'll meet you at the entrance to the gym in ten, okay?" he says, and then breaks from her, leaving her very much alone in the middle of the dance floor. She hurries to find Max amongst the crowd. She spots him handing a glass of punch to Amy, and she frowns.

"There you are!" he exclaims, making his way over to her. "How long does it take you to go to the bathroom?"

"Hey, did you know about the Prom King/Queen elections being rigged?" She says quietly, brushing off his question and hoping that no one will overhear them.

"Well… yeah." he starts hesitantly. She gives him a disappointed look. "Listen. You weren't even supposed to be on the ballot in the first place. I had to pull some strings just so sophomores could be on there… And then when Derek won over me… Well, that's just embarrassing."

She touches the crown on top of her head and blinks back the tears forming in her eyes.

"So I had Amy write my name on the announcement." He notices her tears and places a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, why are you so upset? You're Prom Queen and I'm Prom King! No biggie, right?"

She shrugs his hand away. "_Derek_ was supposed to be Prom King."

"Casey-"

"No, wait. He wasn't supposed to win, and _I_ wasn't supposed to win either. This whole thing… was a joke." She takes the tiara off of her head and looks at it. "So you can have this and give it to Amy, who _would_ have won if you didn't mess with everything!"

She tosses the tiara at his chest and he catches it, looking at her in shock. "Casey! Why are you-"

"If I can't trust you with something simple like a cheating on an exam or cheating a prom ballot, how can I trust you with _me?_" she yells, and then whips around, tears falling furiously down her face. She runs towards the entrance of the gym, recklessly bumping into people who are in her path.

Derek sees her and smiles, until he realizes she's crying. "Whoa, what happened?" He backs up a little and she angrily wipes the tears away from her eyes.

"Max and I had a fight."

"Well, that's one way to get rid of him." Derek mumbles and catches her by the arm. "Hey, it's okay now. Just forget about it. You're with me."

She can't help but smile when he says that, though she knows he doesn't intend for it to sound romantic. She nods and he leads her out the door, through the hallway, and outside to The Prince.

"We'll go get some ice cream. Will that make you feel better?" he says once they get in the car.

"Of course. Ice cream makes everything better." She giggles, and he gives her a smile before they drive off for some food therapy.

* * *

_AustenLvr is signed on._

_KingofBabes91 is signed on._

_KingofBabes91: _Case? What are you still doing up?

_AustenLvr: _I could ask you the same question, couldn't I? ;)

…I just wanted to say thank you for what you did tonight. Thanks for buying me ice cream and making me feel better. Please don't kill me for saying this but… it was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.

You deserved to be Prom King, even if the whole thing was rigged.

_KingofBabes91:_ I do nice things from time to time… even though I refuse to admit it, and you're less of a candidate for my good acts.

Well thanks for inflating my ego just a little bit more. ;) No, really. Thanks, Case.

You deserved to be Prom Queen.

_AustenLvr:_ Okay, well… I should probably go to bed seeing how it's 4 AM and everything. That was all I wanted to say…

_KingofBabes91:_ Oh. Right. Goodnight.

_AustenLvr:_ …I don't want to stop talking to you.

_KingofBabes91: _Haha. Then don't.

_AustenLvr:_ I'm really tired, though.

_KingofBabes91:_ Jeez, woman. Make up your mind! We live in the same house. It's Sunday tomorrow… Today, actually. So you can talk to me when you wake up. Now rest your pretty little head. You could use some sleep after what went down.

_AustenLvr: …_Are you going to be this nice when I wake up?

_KingofBabes91: _What? This isn't a dream, Case. Of course I'll still be this nice to you when you wake up. We can talk as much as you want then. About anything you want. Except I draw the line at painting each other's nails.

_AustenLvr:_ Promise?

_KingofBabes91: _I promise.

_AustenLvr: _I look forward to it. :) Thanks, D.

_KingofBabes91: _Who would have thought… you looking forward to spending time with **me.** ;) Kidding.

Night, Case.

_AustenLvr: _Goodnight. ;)

_AustenLvr has signed out._

_KingofBabes91 has signed out._


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I wanted to thank all of you who are following/reviewing this story. Your words mean so much to me, and really motivate me to keep going. I hope you like this next chapter and my attempt to explain their behaviours from a Dasey point of view. Please, please review if you have the time! I appreciate everything you have to say!**

* * *

**_Chapter 7: "Hatred is the madness of the heart." - Lord Byron_**

It's like they become best friends after she has that fight with Max. They spend countless hours in each other's rooms, just talking and joking around, just like he promised her. He regrets not getting good marks during the school year because summer school is rapidly approaching, and this means less time to spend with her.

She seems to like the 'avoid Max' method, and completely ignores her boyfriend rather than confronting issues with him head-on. He doesn't care. As long as she's getting along with him, he couldn't care less who _else_ might be getting hurt in the process.

He continues a friendly relationship with Sally, but doesn't pursue her anymore. He doesn't want to mess up… whatever this is with Casey.

She helps him pass summer school, and he helps her control the little rugrats at her summer camp. Though they still argue and banter back and forth, they can't deny their ever-growing friendship. He's never done the whole 'friends first, then date' thing, but it seems to be working well with Casey. He just wishes there was some way the whole 'stepsister' label could magically disappear and she could just be his best friend.

* * *

_KingofBabes91 is signed on._

_AustenLvr is signed on._

_AustenLvr: _Hi, Der.

_KingofBabes91: _Hey, Case. :) What are you doing up?

_AustenLvr:_ I couldn't sleep so I got on my computer to write, and then I saw you were on, so I figured I'd talk to you.

_KingofBabes91:_ Oh, cool. I take it you were writing something about yours truly. ;)

_AustenLvr: _Very funny, Der. I didn't even get started, actually. I just have a lot of things on my mind.

_KingofBabes91:_ Like what? Feel free to unload on me. PS: You didn't deny that you weren't _going _to write about me!

_AustenLvr: _I just don't know what to do about this whole Max situation. I'm worried about next year… And what if I was going to write about you?

He is so very conceited

His ego needs to be defeated

He shouldn't get too cocky

One day he'll be bald and stocky

_KingofBabes91: _What the hell? Do you just come up with this stuff off the top of your head? And that's never going to happen. Haven't you seen my dad? The hair gene is excellent in the Venturi line.

And about the Max thing… Why don't you just break up with him already?

_AustenLvr: _Haha, and what about the stocky part? ;) Sure, George is pretty fit, but at the rate you're eating, you're going to end up growing more horizontally than vertically, if you know what I mean.

Um… The thing is, _he _hasn't broken it off with me yet, so that has to mean something, right? That he actually cares at least a little and is willing to have some patience and work things out?

_KingofBabes91: _Was that an insinuation that I'm going to grow fat or a dirty joke? ;)

Hmm. Well, he's probably off scouring the globe for other women, but, realizing he's not going to do much better than you, he is waiting to crawl back to you with his tail between his legs and ask for a second chance. Just my opinion.

_AustenLvr: _Um… Ew! Definitely the first one!

Derek, be serious for once. If he actually cares about me and promises me not to screw up again, should I give him a second chance?

_KingofBabes91: _If you're so worried that I'm going to get chunky, why don't we go on a jog tomorrow morning? We'll see who's faster. ;)

No.

_AustenLvr: _Oh, you're so on Venturi! I'm going to smoke you.

Why is that?

_KingofBabes91: _Yeah, prepare to eat my dust.

Because I didn't want you to go out with him in the first place. Why would I want you to take him back?

_AustenLvr: _Ugh, whatever. I'll figure something out eventually, I guess. 8 AM tomorrow?

_KingofBabes91: _Oh god. So early…

_AustenLvr:_ Don't be a wimp! We have to beat the heat!

_KingofBabes91:_ Fine. Then we both better go to sleep.

_AustenLvr:_ Alright. Goodnight, Der. :) ❤ ❥ xoxo

_KingofBabes91:_ Night, Case. Girly goodbye not appreciated.

_AustenLvr:_ You know you love it. ;)

_AustenLvr has signed out._

_KingofBabes91: _Sadly, I really do. Also,

JUST BREAK UP WITH HIM!

* * *

They're out on one of their early morning jogs, (because they have become routine now), when they round the corner and bump right into the _last _person he wants to see.

"Max?" Casey asks incredulously, trying to catch her breath.

"Casey." Max says, and then turns his attention to her right. "Derek." _His _name comes out with less zest.

"What… what are you doing here?" Casey is still obviously trying to find the right words for this awkward situation.

"Uh, I was out for a run. It kind of seems a bit like fate, doesn't it?" Max chuckles, but neither him nor Casey are amused, so his laughter trails off. "Casey, can I talk to you in private for a minute?"

"Whatever you say to me, you can say in front of Derek." She crosses her arms and stands her ground. He is actually kind of proud.

Max sighs. "See, here's where the problem is."

"What problem? Oh, you being a lying, cheating-" Casey starts, but Max interrupts her.

"No, Casey! I admit what I did was wrong, and I'm really sorry for it. I made a huge mistake. _Two_ huge mistakes. And I hope you can forgive me for them."

"Okay… I can accept that." Casey says slowly. _Oh great._ He does not need her making up with her boyfriend right now. This is supposed to be _their _time! "And I will forgive you in good time… But what are _you_ saying the problem is?"

"You. And Derek." Max announces.

"Excuse me?" His stomach twists in knots and he glares at Max.

"Der, it's okay. I'll take care of this." Casey takes a small step in front of him. She then turns to her boyfriend. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"_I'm_ your boyfriend, Casey. _Not_ Derek." Max states. Now he _really_ feels sick to his stomach. "Yeah, we're in the middle of a fight right now, but we're still dating. Somehow Derek always ends up being the reason for our fights, and you _always_ pick Derek's side."

"Oh, that is so not true!" Casey throws her hands up in the air in disbelief. He almost laughs at her dramatics. "Name one other incident besides now! Which is totally justified, by the way, considering Derek was the one scammed at prom."

"Um, how about when he was going to get beat up by Ryan? You totally blew up in my face about not going to help him." Max suggests.

She opens her mouth to protest, but he cuts her off.

"_And_ you spend more time with him than me. You spend more time with him than anybody!"

Max pauses to give her time to state her rebuttal, but instead she just opens her mouth slightly, looking kind of like a goldfish out of water, and then crosses her arms over her chest again.

"You do half your school projects together. Even if we're in the same class, you don't pick me as your partner. He's always driving you to parties and events. You taught each other how to drive. You were in the school play together…"

"It's convenient." he interjects, feeling rather like the third wheel in this conversation even though the topic of conversation _is_ him. "She's my stepsister and we live in the same house, so she's always around. What's the big deal, dude?"

"The _big_ _deal_ is that she spends every waking moment with you when she's not with me." Max turns to him, and he realizes this is his fight now. "It's not normal. No guy willingly spends all their time with their sister when they're out of school… or in school."

"Stepsister." he mumbles under his breath.

"Whatever, Derek." Max rolls his eyes. "For two people who claim to hate each other, you sure do spend an awful lot of time together. Way _too_ much time, if you ask me."

"Are you jealous, or something?" He raises his eyebrows, smirking as he does so. "Because Casey spends more time with me? Did you ever think that maybe she would rather hang out with her stepbrother who treats her better than her jerk of a boyfriend?" His fist instinctively curls into a ball. He's never wanted to punch someone as much as he wants to punch Max right now.

"Derek…" Casey places a hand on his arm and looks at him pleadingly. His breathing slows, but then Max starts back up again.

"Oh, because _you_ treat her so well, Derek! You're such a gentleman! So chivalrous! Always opening doors for her and _not_ making a mockery out of her in school!"

"Max!" Casey yells, glaring at her boyfriend.

"Hey, I may meddle with Casey's dignity and cause her some embarrassment every once in a while, but I don't hurt her _feelings_ like you do!" he yells, taking a step closer to Max.

"Derek, please!" Casey grabs his arm and tries her hardest to pull him back.

"Wow, and that makes you so much better than me?" Max asks sarcastically. "I don't intentionally hurt Casey's feelings! Every couple has their problems, and I'm trying to fix them, but _you_ always seem to get in my way!"

"Max, let's just-" Casey tries to intervene, but he stops her before she can get anywhere.

"You don't seem to be very conscious of how your actions might affect her in the long run. Use your brain, Maxxy!"

"DEREK!"

"Why don't you try using yours sometime, Venturi? Do you know how many times my girlfriend has come to me asking me to help her defend herself against _you?"_

"MAX!"

He's fuming now, his nostrils flaring and his blood boiling. The only thing holding him back from physically fighting is Casey's persistent grip on his arm, her nails digging into his skin. "There's a difference! I'm only Casey's stepbrother. If I was Casey's boyfriend I would_ never_ treat her the way you treat her. She deserves better!"

Casey gasps and her arm slips from his to shoot up to her mouth. He swipes a bead of sweat off of his forehead and attempts to calm himself down, but now that he let that last sentiment slip from his mouth, he doesn't know if he'll ever be calm again. The only sound is his and Max's breathing, his words having shocked them into silence.

It's Max that finally breaks the silence, his voice low. "You guys are practically siblings. It would just be _wrong_ if you went out."

It doesn't sound like an accusation, but more of an ultimatum. 'Casey, you can't go out with Derek because you're practically stepsiblings, but you _can_ still go out with me!' He hears Casey sniff and realizes she must be crying. He kicks at a rock on the ground, his eyes cast downward.

"Casey, I'm sorry. I really am." Max says softly when no one responds to his prior statement. "I still want to be your boyfriend. I promise I'll try my best never to hurt you again."

"Trying your best isn't good enough." he mutters, squashing an ant underneath his sneaker. He looks up at Casey in anticipation. She hastily wipes a tear from her eye, not making eye contact with him.

Instead she looks at Max and gives a small nod, another tear falling down her face. "Okay, yeah. I forgive you." she says with very little gusto in her voice, and his heart sinks in his chest. "I still want to be your girlfriend, but one more stunt and we're over. For good."

Max smiles. "I won't try anymore stunts. Trust me. I want you on my good side." Max winks at her, and she gives a small giggle. He feels like he might puke. "Do you want to go grab a bite to eat?" Max asks her.

"Um, yeah, sure." she says hesitantly, glancing over at him. He huffs out, now more hurt than he is pissed. "Can you give me just one second with Derek?"

"Sure." Max says uncertainly. "Just send me a text when you're ready." The football player jogs around the corner, and she approaches him.

"Der-"

She tries to place a hand on his back, but he swats it away. "Forget it. I don't want to hear some bullshit about how you planned on taking back Max this whole time."

"Derek!"

"You guys are going to break up eventually. Even if you last through all of his senior year, there's no way in hell he's going to stay with you when he has all those _university_ girls to choose from!"

"Oh, now you're just being ridiculous!" she yells, taking a tone of voice that he never wanted to hear directed at him.

"Am I? Because I think you're being the ridiculous one here! Have you ever noticed that we get along best when we're both not going out with anyone? _Have you?_"

"Of course I've noticed, Derek! But how are we supposed to keep going on like this? Max is right. It's not normal, and it never will be!"

"Yeah, because you always have mess it up, you callous bitch!"

Casey just stares at him, tears welling up in her eyes. Her bottom lip starts trembling, and, _shit,_ he's done it now. "'I don't hurt her feelings' _my ass_! You hurt my feelings more than anyone ever has!" Casey storms off, and he's left standing there alone, the summer heat beating down on his face.

"Damn it."

* * *

When she was younger she was taught to never use the word 'hate,' especially when referring to a person. But she finds no other word to describe her feelings towards him, which should be okay, considering he _is_ the 'exception to all rules.'

She hates him. She hates him so much that it physically hurts. The way he makes her feel when she takes Max back… like she's the most horrible person in the world… She doesn't understand how someone can go from being her best friend one week to her worst enemy the next. What other choice did she have?

She couldn't keep pretending that what Derek and she were doing was normal! They were basically dating without all the physicality of a real couple… Well, the romantic physicality anyway. And would it ever result in more than that? _No._ Even if it did, there would be huge consequences to pay. Max would accuse her of cheating on him. Their parents would be uptight about the whole thing. Marti, Lizzie, and Edwin would be confused. Not to mention the majority of society would shun them due to blatant ignorance.

Would it be worth it… for Derek? _Yes._ But would Derek think so?

When her junior year starts up, she decides to try out for the cheerleading squad to show her support for her boyfriend and keep her mind off of another boy. It doesn't quite work when Derek decides to go for Amy, the head cheerleader. _Oh, _of all the girls he could go for… This one irks her the most.

Ever since their whole incident during the summer, Derek has been pretending to be all buddy-buddy with Max and getting on his good side. Max doesn't seem to mind, considering she rarely talks to Derek anymore and this keeps the peace between the hockey and football teams. Seeing her boyfriend and stepbrother chilling in the hallway together and laughing over some dumb boy joke they both found funny just seems to get under her skin. She doesn't get how they can pretend like nothing went down, like they _didn't_ verbally attack each other in a fight over her.

Much to her pleasure, Amy breaks up with Derek because he 'talks about his stepsister too much.' She can't help but smile when Amy tells her that Derek is 'basically obsessed with her,' but she hides her amusement quickly, not wanting to reveal that this makes her happy.

It's when Derek starts dating Sally that she _really_ freaks. Sally is _perfect._ There's no way she can stand up to someone so beautiful and smart and funny. She has to change her tactic in order to stop herself from going insane, so she reverts to being encouraging of his relationship with Sally.

Truthfully, she really _does_ like Sally. She thinks they could be friends… if she wasn't going out with Derek, that is. She feigns friendliness and supportiveness in hopes that either - a) reverse psychology will come into play and Derek will want to stop dating Sally, or b) she'll trick herself into believing this is actually a good thing.

She starts losing herself to all the things Max loves in order to distract herself from the burning feeling of jealousy in her chest. She quits poetry club because the only thing she can write about anymore is her stupid stepbrother. She concentrates on cheerleading and being a good girlfriend, but it backfires on her, and she realizes how Max has affected her life… for the worse.

She can't take all the pressure and stress of being with him anymore. She suggests that they go on break, but Max thinks their 'break' during the summer was long enough. His patience for her runs thin, and they break up after one of the biggest games of the season. Derek and Sally officially become boyfriend and girlfriend a few days later.

* * *

_AustenLvr is signed on._

_KingofBabes91 is signed on._

_KingofBabes91:_ Yo, what up, relationship advisor?

_AustenLvr: _So that's my alias now, is it?

_KingofBabes91:_ Well, yeah. Ever since you broke up with Max, your mind has been cleared and I can seek solace in you.

_AustenLvr:_ First of all, I thought you liked Max. Second of all, why have you decided to start coming to **me** for all of your Sally needs?

_KingofBabes91:_ First of all, I **did** like Max. Doesn't mean that I liked you when you were with him. Second of all, that sounds wrong. Don't ever say that again. Also, despite evidence that would suggest otherwise, you** are** a girl, and therefore you give better advice about girls than say… Sam and Ralph.

_AustenLvr: _If you want my help, you're going to have to be a little bit nicer to me.

_KingofBabes91: _Yeah, sure, Princess. You have a compassionate conscience. You help me no matter what. Uh… Take Open Mic Night, for example. I stole your song, and yet you helped me write a new one. Why have you been all "Team Sally" lately, anyway?

_AustenLvr: _I just think she's a really good girl… for you. For once.

_KingofBabes91:_ Uh huh.

_AustenLvr: _What do you need help with this time, Derek?

_KingofBabes91:_ Well, I'm thinking about taking her on a nice date, but I'm not very romantical. So spill. What do you think she would like to do?

_AustenLvr: _I don't know! I'm not Sally! I don't know what she likes…

_KingofBabes91:_ You practically** are** her… I mean - the less attractive, more keenerish, brunette version of her. But still.

_AustenLvr: _Oh, thank you **so** much. You make me feel so good about myself.

_KingofBabes91: _No, seriously. I need your help. I'm no good at this. If you were going on a date with me, where would you want to go?

_AustenLvr: _Back home, because you're a Class A jerk.

_KingofBabes91:_ Casey…

_AustenLvr: _Ugh, I don't know. Take her ice skating or something. You like it. She'll probably like it. It's cute, and if she falls you can catch her.

_KingofBabes91: _Good one, Case! Thanks. Now, you want to tell me how your little talk with Noel went after he found out you just wanted to be his friend? Maybe I can give **you **some advice. ;)

_AustenLvr: _**Goodbye,** Derek.

_KingofBabes91: _Oh, come on!

_AustenLvr has signed out. _

_KingofBabes91: _What a butt…

* * *

_**Playlist D**_

_**Song** Gravity **Artist **Sara Bareilles **Plays** 23_

_Something always brings me back to you_  
_It never takes too long_  
_No matter what I say or do_  
_I still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone_

_You hold me without touch_  
_You keep me without chains_  
_I never wanted anything so much_  
_Than to drown in your love and not feel your rain_

_Set me free, leave me be_  
_I don't wanna fall another moment into your gravity_  
_Here I am and I stand so tall_  
_I'm just the way I'm supposed to be_  
_But you're on to me and all over me_

_You loved me 'cause I'm fragile_  
_When I thought that I was strong_  
_But you touch me for a little while_  
_And all my fragile strength is gone_

_Set me free, leave me be_  
_I don't wanna fall another moment into your gravity_  
_Here I am and I stand so tall_  
_I'm just the way I'm supposed to be_  
_But you're on to me and all over me_

_I live here on my knees_  
_As I try to make you see_  
_That you're everything I think I need_  
_Here on the ground_

_But you're neither friend nor foe_  
_Though I can't seem to let you go_  
_The one thing that I still know_  
_Is that you're keeping me down_  
_You're keeping me down_

_You're on to me, on to me and all over_  
_Something always brings me back to you_  
_It never takes too long_


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I really love you all. Thank you so much for reviewing! This is one of my favourite chapters so far, so I can't wait to see what you all think. Please keep the reviews coming! They really make my day! :)**

* * *

_**Chapter 8: "One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter." – James Earl Jones**_

The end of their junior year results in a few things:

1. They're still being stand-offish towards each other. It's like a cold war. There's no physical fighting, but he can tell by the way she looks at him - the odd sense of loss she seems to carry – that they're in a weird sort of emotional fight because of the whole Max/Sally business.

2. She tries to get Max to go out with her again. The whole thing is just a fail of epic proportions. Max is tired of the whole 'will they – won't they' deal, and he ends it permanently. (As if it wasn't permanent enough before.) Casey seems a little heartbroken, but he thinks, with a little bit of spite, she brought it upon herself. I mean, how many times did he tell her that relationship wasn't going to work out?

3. Some creep named Truman starts going to their school. He got kicked out of his old school, so he thinks he's all badass and whatnot, but there is no way he can achieve maximum popularity in a short amount of time. He's not _that_ cool. He does, however, make a spectacle of himself, going around and rating the girls in the school based on physical appearance. Casey is more than livid when she receives a '6.5.' He figures out Truman's _real_ intentions behind rating his stepsis so low – he wants to get Casey's attention. Oh, and get her attention he does. Casey ends up _hating _Truman. But it scares him how much she is really affected by this jerk…

4. Sally announces that she's going to university in Vancouver. _Vancouver._ That's like… a million and a half miles away, and this a. pisses him off, and b. causes him to make some irrational decisions such as wanting to drop out of school and move across the country before he realizes how stupid that sounds. He likes Sally. He really does. She's gorgeous and smart and… good. But he can't throw away everything for her. He realizes that if it's meant to be then they can still have a long-distance relationship or something. (He also realizes he would throw everything away for Casey if she wanted him to.)

5. He starts detaching himself from Sally bit by bit. Casey seems to notice. When Sally goes to some university seminar during March break, he spends the entire week with his stepsister. It's the most fun he's had in _ages,_ though they resort back to their bickering, pranking ways. Then, when he finds out that he could potentially be failing grade 11, Casey is the one to come to his rescue. They work together, and guess what? It's perfect. He tried to study with everyone else – his dad, Edwin, Sam, even Sally, but no one seems to understand him like Casey. They just… get each other, learn from each other, and know how to calm each other's nerves. He pulls all of his grades up to university standards.

6. He steals Casey's laptop and finds all the schools she's applying to in the fall. He writes all of them down and plans to apply to every last one of them as well, (even the ones he knows he can't get into.) He's got a master plan to keep his marks up in grade 12 so all of the schools know how hard he's trying. He can't imagine losing her. Even if he has to go to a crappy university close to the one she's going to, he'll do it.

* * *

_KingofBabes91 is signed on._

_KingofBabes91: _Oh my god, Case, can I try this webcam thingy out on you?

_AustenLvr:_ What are you talking about?

_KingofBabes91: _I bought a webcam for this computer! Cool, huh? And I already know yours has a built in camera, so I want to test it out.

_AustenLvr:_ We live all of a few steps away from each other. The wall between our rooms is probably less than a foot wide… And you want to video chat with me?

_KingofBabes91:_ Come on, it'll be fun!

_AustenLvr: _I look terrible! I don't have any make-up on or anything…

_KingofBabes91: _Seriously, Princess? You're worried about **me** seeing? I've seen you at your worst. Besides, I'm sure you like fine. I mean, I'm sure you don't look disgustingly hideous.

_AustenLvr: _Ugh, fine. I'll connect. This is so pointless…

_AustenLvr is online._

_KingofBabes91 is online._

"Woo, Case! I can see you!" He speaks, and a large grin breaks out on his face.

She can't help but smile back. He looks so excited. "Oh the pleasures you take in life's simple things. Why did you get a webcam anyway?"

He hesitates, looking down before answering. "Well you're going to your dad's this summer, right? So I figured I could talk to you." She blushes and hopes he can't see that on the webcam. "And, you know, Sally…"

Her heart drops. "Right. Sally." He looks back up at the camera, and she tries to hide the jealousy on her face. "I'm only going to be gone for a week, you know. I'm sure you won't miss me too much."

"Well the main reason was Sally. I just said that to make you feel better… more significant." His words just make her even more upset. He knows he's lying but he can't stop himself. "I know your self esteem has gone down since you haven't had a boyfriend in like… seven months or so."

So he decides to turn the tables on _her,_ huh? Well she's not going to put up with it! "Excuse me? I could _get_ a boyfriend if I wanted one! There are plenty of guys in the school who would want to go out with me…" She tries to think of a legitimate excuse as to why she doesn't have a boyfriend. "I'm just keeping my options open." she finishes lamely.

"Mmhmm, okay, I believe you." Derek nods vigorously and gives her a face as if to say 'yeah right.' "If you're so sure you're Miss. Desirable, then name one guy who would go out with you."

"Um…" She wracks her brain. "There's uh… Truman! He was only pretending to be mean to me so that I would go out with him. Stupid tactic, but there's a guy for you. So ha!"

"Truman is the scum of the earth. So, what does it feel like, attracting that sort of guy?" He winks at her.

"Goodbye, Derek." she says, squinting her eyes at him and making a motion to shut her laptop.

"Wait, why do you always leave when I say something that offends you? We can work this-"

He's cut off by the sound of a loud slam and the screen in front of him going black. "Jerk." he mumbles to himself as he reads the words _AustenLvr has disconnected._

* * *

It's the end of the summer. Sally is leaving for university, and, truthfully, he's a little bit upset. He _did_ care about her. There was no denying that. Sure, she was no Casey, but she was a good girlfriend. His best yet. She was just a little too demanding and high maintenance for his taste. She wanted to change him, which is _so_ not okay.

But he did like her quite a bit. Now that they're parting ways, though, he finds the whole prospect of them carrying on a long distance relationship to be completely pointless. She's going to go off to a new, exciting place where she's going to find some guy who is ten times more amazing than him. He bought the webcam so they could talk while she was at university, but he highly doubts that's ever going to happen.

Their break up is bittersweet. On one hand, he's upset to lose someone so close to him, but on the other, he's relieved in a way. He's tired of Casey's weird supportiveness of his relationship with Sally, and he just wants his stepsister and him to stop being in this bizarre state of sortofnotreally fighting.

Sally comes over before her flight to bid him farewell. He was kind of avoiding this whole sappy incident, but he is glad to have closure when it actually does happen.

He's scheduled to work right after he says his goodbyes with Sally. He gloomily gets in The Prince wearing his uniform and heads over to Smelly Nelly's.

He jumps back in surprise as there is a chorus of "congratulations!" as he steps through the door. About 20 people jump up from behind booths and tables. They all groan when they see that it's him.

"What's going on here?" he asks, confused. He scratches the back of his neck, uncomfortable, already thinking he _knows_ what this whole thing is about.

"Well, Sally is supposed to come here and pick up her last paycheck before she leaves for the airport, and we were going to throw her this surprise going away party." Genevieve, one of the managers, speaks up.

"But she has to go to university, doesn't she?" he inquires. "Her flight leaves… really soon."

"We booked her on a later flight. She doesn't have to be there until tomorrow, actually." Mrs. Bergmann, Sally's mom, says. "We wanted it to be a surprise for you too." She pats him on the back and he gives a weak smile. He thought the goodbyes were over. This is just going to make things harder. He likes finality, and this little party is throwing him for a loop.

"So come hide, Derek!" Mrs. Bergmann ushers him over to one of the booths. "She's going to be so excited!"

He wearily crouches down and sits on the floor, drawing his knees up to his chin. He looks to his left and suddenly realizes that he's sitting beside his stepsister. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm Sally's friend, too." she whispers defensively. "Now, hush. She could be coming in at any minute."

"So you knew about this too? And you didn't tell me!"

"Shut up, Derek! It's called a surprise for a reason." She rolls her eyes at him, and this only makes him smirk.

"I can't believe you're sitting on the gross, stinky, _germy_ floor!" he proclaims, and her eyes widen at his statement.

"I'm sitting on napkins, okay?" she hisses out. "See?" She lifts her butt up a bit and points to the white cloth underneath. One of them sticks to her skirt and he chuckles, pulling it off before she sits back down.

"Wow, you are such a priss." he says, dangling the napkin in front of her face.

"That was unwanted goosing, Derek!" she says, opening her mouth in horror as she realizes he practically _touched_ her butt.

"Oh, what a crime! You know you liked i-"

She slaps a hand over his mouth before he can complete his statement. "Don't even _think_ about finishing that lovely sentiment." she whispers.

He just raises his eyebrows at her and proceeds to lick her hand which is still silencing him. She draws away faster than you can say-

"Disgusting!" she shrieks, extracting the napkins from underneath her butt and vigorously wiping her hand on them. "Gross! Ew!"

He's just laughing hysterically as she discards the napkins and grabs his apron off of his lap and rubs her hand on it. When she's finally done freaking out and she wipes her hand one last time on his shirt for good measure, the whole crowd in the restaurant is staring at them. He stops laughing when Mrs. Bergmann looks away from them with a small, sad smile on her face. _Shit. Everyone saw…_

At that moment Sally walks through the door, but no one is paying attention to her because of Casey and his fight.

"Hello?" she calls out, and everyone seems to spring to life again, jumping up and yelling "congratulations!" once more. He stands up, halfheartedly shouting along with everyone else, Casey looking just as upset beside him.

Sally is absolutely elated, giving practically everyone in the room a hug. She gets to him and squeezes him to her tightly. He withdraws quickly, trying to fake a smile. "I'm so glad we get a little more time together, Derek!" she says, moving on to hug his stepsister.

"Yeah." It's all he can manage to say.

He doesn't drink the punch or eat any of the food at Sally's party. He merely sits in a booth and watches her practically dance from person to person, red cup in hand. It's not long before Casey slides in across from him with her own red cup.

"Taste this." she says, wrinkling her nose. "I think there's something wrong with it."

She pushes it towards him, and he disregards the fact that her lips have been on the cup previously. (He knows because he sees her lip gloss and he drinks from that exact spot.) First all he can taste is her cherry flavor but then he gets a whiff of the stuff in the cup and that's enough.

He takes one sip and sputters, sticking out his tongue in disgust. "How can you even drink this? It's clearly spiked!" he says, and she grabs it back from him.

"That's what I thought." She pushes the cup aside and crosses her arms. "Gross."

"Wow, you got _some_ intuition on you for figuring that out!" he says sarcastically, but she ignores him.

"Why aren't you spending time with Sally?" she inquires, tilting her head and looking _so darn cute._

"I thought we already said goodbye." he says truthfully. There's no point in lying to her. "Once was painful enough."

"Oh." she hesitantly reaches over and grabs his hand, running her thumb back and forth across it. And, surprisingly, he lets her. He closes his eyes and secretly wishes he could be tasting the lip gloss on her lips rather than her cup. He knows he's a horrible person for wanting his stepsister while his semi-ex girlfriend is in the room, but he can't help it. He can't.

"Der-" He hears her start, but then she's interrupted.

"Derek! You have to try some of this punch! It's _so_ good!" Sally basically shouts, and he opens his eyes as Sally slides in the booth next to him. He reluctantly lets go of Casey's hand as Sally pushes him over, sloshing some of her drink onto his lap and giggling, _clearly_ drunk.

"_Great."_ he mumbles, and Sally makes a slurred apology.

"Where's her mom?" Casey asks worriedly, but when they look round for Mrs. Bergmann they see she is dancing with Pierce, obviously inebriated as well.

"Double great." Derek says, and he squeezes past a laughing Sally to get some napkins. He returns with some in hand, and sits on Casey's side of the booth rather than Sally's this time. He begins to dab at his soaked pants.

"Here, let me help." Casey offers, and he hands her some of the napkins. She pats at his jeans, and he looks at her in adoration as a curtain of her hair falls over her face and she concentrates on what she's doing, her eyebrows furrowed. He's startled when her hand comes a little too close to his… crotch and he jumps. She looks at him and then quickly looks away, blushing.

"What are you two doing?" Sally asks suspiciously, leaning over the table to look at them.

"Nothing." Casey says hastily, gathering up the napkins and scooting past him to throw them away. Only… she sort of trips over one of the legs of the table and ends up with her face in his lap, and he's very much reminded of the rehearsal dinner before their parents' wedding, this scenario being almost _exactly_ the same.

"Derek, I'm _so_ sorry!" Casey says, propping herself up, her face coming mere inches from his. She sits up, her eyes wandering at his lips, and he can smell her lip gloss.

"It's fine." he breathes out, almost closing the distance between their faces, but then Sally clears her throat.

"Hey, this is _my_ party. Derek, why are you looking at _her_ like that?" He's snapped out of a daze and quickly turns his head towards Sally, his head banging into Casey's.

"OW!" They both exclaim, clutching their heads in pain.

"Ugh, nice going." Casey mutters, though he can't tell if it's directed at him or if she's talking to herself. She slides past him and announces that she's going to get them some ice. (Sure, they both need it, but he knows it's a ploy to keep her mind off of what just happened.)

He's grateful for her absence, though. He takes this time to breathe, but it is a little bit difficult when Sally is glaring at him.

"What is going on?" she asks, suddenly looking more sober than she's looked the entire day. _Crap_. This cannot be good.

"What do you mean?" he plays innocent, and hopefully she'll back off. If not, he can always make something up. Plus she's under the influence so she probably won't remember this conversation anyway.

"You. And Casey." Sally says, but there's a tremble in her voice that throws her seriousness off.

"Nothing is going on." he states, looking in her eyes and daring her to question him again.

"You love her, don't you?" Sally asks, and he's taken aback. When he said 'I knew I loved you for a reason' to Sally, it wasn't supposed to be serious. He doesn't really believe in the word love… not at this point in his life. (For the sake of Peter, he's only 17!) But he thinks that maybe someday he _could_ love Casey, if they were ever given a chance. He's thought this for a long time.

"No, I don't love her." he chokes out. "I…"

"You love her." Sally says defiantly. "I can tell when you look at her. I tried to ignore it for forever, but I could always tell she would always be your first priority, even over me, your _girlfriend._"

It's just his luck that Sally would turn into the philosophical drunk. He almost wishes she would go back to her giggly, annoying state. "I like her, okay?" he admits with a sigh, finding no excuses. "A lot. But I liked you a lot too, Sally. It's just…"

"Not as much as her." Sally finishes his sentence. "S'kay."

So he has the approval of Sally. Drunk Sally. How… reassuring.

"Are we sharing secrets now?" Sally asks, chuckling.

"Um…" He doesn't know how to answer this. He doesn't know if he wants to hear any secrets from Sally. "I think-"

She doesn't let him finish. She cuts him off with her laughter. Oh lovely. Spacey Sally is back. "You know how I said I was a virgin, and I wanted to save myself for marriage?"

His mouth goes dry. He nods his head feebly. Okay. He's made up his mind. He doesn't want to hear this secret.

"Well…" Sally hiccups. "I slept with Patrick before we even went out."

And with that, she slumps her head and falls asleep with her head on the table. Just at that moment, Casey returns with two ice packs, and she hands one to him.

"Wow, this was an eventful party, wasn't it?" she asks, looking at Sally with one eyebrow raised.

"You have no idea." he mumbles, and scoots over to allow her to sit down next to him.

"What does that mean?" _Oh man._ She heard him.

"Sally just confessed that she slept with Patrick before we went out." he says aridly, staring straight ahead rather than looking at her.

"Oh, Derek." Casey says slowly, and she loops her arm in his and rests her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry." she whispers, and he allows himself to lean his head against hers.

"This is the worst going away party ever." he says, (though it may just be getting better merely from her arm in his.)

"Agreed." she sighs and grabs his hand, lacing her fingers with his. "But I'm still glad I'm back."

"Yeah?" he asks, looking down at her. "Why's that?"

"I missed you. New York wasn't much fun... even with my dad." she says softly, and his heart begins to pound in his chest when she squeezes his hand lightly.

"I missed you too, Case." he says, squeezing back. He fears he might do something irrational, so he changes the subject. "What are we going to about all these drunk people?" he asks, and she laughs.

"I don't know. Would Sally let you drive her car?"

"Yeah, probably." He shrugs.

"Okay, then you should take Sally and her mom home in her car, and I'll follow you in The Prince and drive you back here." she replies.

"How will you get home?"

"Same way I got here. Mom can pick me up."

"Okay." he says, and he reluctantly lets go of her hand to spring into action. He helps a dazed Sally and giddy Mrs. Bergmann to Sally's car, easily stealing Sally's keys from her back pocket and taking them back home.

When Casey and his plan is carried out and finished, they sit in silence in The Prince and wait for her mom to pick her up in the family van.

"I'm glad we're not fighting anymore." Casey finally breaks the tension around them. (Though he realizes it wasn't awkward tension. He could sit in silence with her forever and not be uncomfortable.)

"Me too." he says softly.

"I'm sorry I took Max back and didn't break up with him. It was all my fault that we fought, and I… wish I could be braver." she says quickly, a flurry of words that fall from her lips as she nervously anticipates what he might think of this.

"No. I'm sorry I went out with Sally." he confesses. "And I wish I could be braver too." He says this last part under his breath, and he isn't even sure that she hears him.

"Alright." Casey unbuckles her seatbelt, and he looks outside to see the van approaching, Nora waving for her to get in. "See you when you get home from work, Der."

"See ya." He watches her retreating figure get into the van before he heads back into Smelly Nelly's. He isn't entirely sure what that weird coming-to-terms thing was in the car, but he has a feeling she and he won't be dating anyone else for a long time.

* * *

**Counseling Report – Paul Greeby**

**11/20/08**

**Student Name:**Casey McDonald

**Grade:** 12

**Reason for appointment:**Derek Venturi (And the new kid)

Casey disclosed to me some personal dreams she's been having about a certain someone. I thought she was heading more in the direction of her dreams being about Derek… I thought we were going to get somewhere in their complicated relationship… All the signs pointed to this option. She called the guy in her dreams "arrogant, smug, flirtacious, and ___totally aware of how cute he is_!" But it turns out she was just having dreams about this new guy, Truman, who is a _total_ jerk by the way! I mean… He should probably come and see me for a session because of that little girl rating shtick he pulled last year. Do you know how many female students had to have counseling because of him giving them 4s and 5s on his stupid scale? The kid owes me a box or two of tissues even if he doesn't come see me!

Anyway… This might be somewhat progressive considering Casey is attracted to a guy that is at least a little bit like Derek. At least more so than her other ex-boyfriends. I just don't know how to gently nudge her in the direction of her stepbrother anymore…

* * *

So… About this Truman character. He practically stalked her during the spring term of her junior year, and he continues to pursue her rather _annoyingly _when the fall term of her senior year starts up.

She has dreams about him – about almost _kissing_ him, which is the most disturbing thing about these… not dreams. _Nightmares._ Sure, she's had plenty of dreams about Derek. Plenty of dreams that involved more than just kissing Derek… But lately Truman has been infecting her mind, and this scares her a bit. She's not one to ignore signs, and this could be her subconscious trying to tell her a message.

_Get over your stepbrother. Get over your stepbrother. Get over your stepbrother._

She knows Derek likes her. She knows. And it has to be pretty obvious by now that she likes him back. But nothing can _ever_ happen, so she has to wonder why she keeps flirting with him, why she wants to spend so much time with him, why he's the only thing she thinks about. She's setting herself up for major heartbreak, and this scares her as well. She believes she might be turning into a masochist.

So the first date with Truman – that is totally just an attempt to make him go away. She thinks maybe one date will satisfy his craving and make him leave her alone. That doesn't happen. What's her excuse for the second date, then the third, then the fact that they become boyfriend and girlfriend? She forces herself to believe that Truman is just like Derek – that dating the bad boy type will satisfy _her_ craving.

In the back of her mind she knows he's _nothing_ like Derek. Truman continues to hurt her over and over again, and Derek would never… Yet, she still takes him back every time he screws up because she is convincing herself that this is therapeutic. If she can convince herself that Truman is a good match for her, her heart won't be broken by Derek.

It almost works.

Until Truman ends up breaking her heart by kissing her cousin.

Derek is the only one there to pick up the pieces.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Thank you so much for the reviews last chapter! You all make me so happy! Please don't forget to review this chapter as well!**

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_**Chapter 9: "Your heart is my piñata." – Chuck Palahniuk**_

_KingofBabes91 is signed on._

_AustenLvr is signed on._

_KingofBabes91: _Case, go to bed… It's like 4 in the morning. Don't think about him anymore.

_AustenLvr: _I can't help it…

_KingofBabes91: _Please don't cry. I can hear you…

_AustenLvr: _Sorry.

_KingofBabes91: _He's not worth it, you know.

_AustenLvr: _I guess…

_KingofBabes91: _Come here. Come over here, to my room, I mean.

_AustenLvr: _I thought you didn't do tears.

_KingofBabes91: _I am willing to make an exception. Just… please. I don't want you to cry anymore.

_AustenLvr: _I don't want you to see me like this.

_KingofBabes91: _Come on, Case. If You won't come over here, then at least go on video chat so I can talk to you.

_AustenLvr: _I told you. I don't want you to see me. I look like a total mess.

_KingofBabes91: _I want to tell you a story, though.

_AustenLvr: _Derek…

_KingofBabes91: _ Hmm… go to the vent near your door.

_AustenLvr: _ What?

_KingofBabes91: _You know the vent closest to your door? Open it and sit in front of it.

_AustenLvr: _…Okay.

He leaves his computer and rushes over to the vent in his room, opening it so he can hear Casey's stifled sobs even more clearly. He closes his eyes, wishing they would stop.

"Can you hear me, Casey?" he asks, speaking deliberately into the vent.

"Yes." she squeaks out, her breathing shallow.

"Good." He smiles a little, even though she can't see him. "Okay, get comfortable, C. Grab a pillow or something, because I'm going to sit here and tell you a story to make you feel better, alright?"

"Okay." He hears her get up, presumably to grab a pillow off of her bed, and then a thump as she sits back down near the vent.

"Ready?"

"Mmhmm."

He adjusts himself so he's more relaxed and then starts his story.

"One time, there was a very beautiful girl who was sweet, and passionate, and smart. Her name was, uh… Little Blue Riding Hood."

He hears Casey give a small, watery giggle, and he can't help but smile. "Oh, and she was an excellent cook. The best in all of Ontari..ona. Ontariona, the kingdom ruled under King George and Queen Nora. On this particular day, Little Blue Riding Hood was taking one of her famous casseroles to her cousin Victoria who lived far away in the kingdom of Torontonimo.

"Little Blue had to walk a great, dangerous distance to get to Torontonimo, so she took her trusted friend named Big D, who just so happened to be an axeman, with her."

At this point, Casey lets out a burst of laughter, and he grins, deciding to lie down on the floor and talk rather than stay sitting up. It is 4 AM, after all, and he is really tired. He continues his story, one cheek pressed to the carpet.

"So Little Blue and Big D were walking through the perilous woods, when all of the sudden a mangy, scraggly wolf jumped out from behind one of the trees.

"'Something smells delicious!' said the creepy-ass wolf. Little Blue seemed intrigued by the animal, but Big D held his axe at the ready, just in case the wolf made any sudden, unwanted movements.

"'That would be my casserole.' Little Blue explained. 'I'm taking it to my cousin, because she is snobby, and can't cook anything for herself.'"

Casey chortles before he continues. "'Oh my… Sounds like a delicious meal.' The wolf licked his lips, eyeing up Little Blue rather than the casserole, and Big D decided enough was enough.

"'Alright, time to keep moving.' Big D interjected, taking Little Blue by the arm. 'Goodbye Wolfman.' He made sure to shoot the wolf a glare before leading Little Blue away.

"What they didn't know, though, was that the wolf knew exactly who Little Blue's cousin was, and he was planning on getting to her house in Torontonimo before they did.

"When they got to Victoria's house, everything _seemed_ normal, but then they opened the door and saw the wolf wearing a bib, a knife and fork in his hand as he stood over a very terrified cousin.

"'Oh no!' Little Blue exclaimed. 'What do you think you're doing? You can't eat my cousin! Get away, you nasty wolf!'

"The wolf merely turned to her with a creepy grin. 'You're next.' he said, his eyes gleaming as he licked his lips.

"'Not on my watch!' Big D said, swinging his axe from out behind him. With a fatal blow, he chopped off the wolf's head.

"The end."

He sighs. If he wasn't so tired he might have been able to come up with something decent, but that story would have to do for now.

"You still alive, Case?" he asks, his finger tracing lines on the carpet.

"Yeah." she says, not a hint of tears in her voice. _Excellent_. Mission accomplished. "Thanks, D. That was a good story. Especially the ending."

"Glad you liked it." he says groggily, knowing she is only flattering him. He rolls a piece of lint in between his fingers. "Can you go to sleep now?"

"Um…" he hears her hesitate.

"What is it?"

"Can you just talk to me for a while longer?"

His eyelids are drooping, but he wants to help her in any way that he can. "Yeah, sure." he says.

He continues to talk to her and joke around until he can't hear the sound of her giggles anymore. He yawns, his breathing becoming more steady as his eyes start to close. He mumbles a few more incoherent sentences about how wonderful she is before dozing off.

They both fall asleep on the floors of their respective rooms, their heads facing the vents that connect them to one another.

* * *

Although he is uncharacteristically kind to her the day of her breakup with Tru-scum, he still can't help but feel completely betrayed and hurt. He was not planning on dating anyone for their entire year, and he sort of expected her to do the same, especially after the whole Max/Sally ordeal.

But then she goes out with Truman, the most obnoxious, egotistical, rat-faced _asshole_ in all of Sir John Sparrow Thomson High. He can't even believe it. It feels like stab in the heart whenever he sees her with him - (aka situations he normally tries to avoid.) He knows that Truman is absolutely horrible and will only end up hurting her, but it's not like he's going to warn her or anything. If she wants to set herself up for a crappy-ass relationship, far be it from him to prevent her from doing so!

One positive thing _does_ stem from their relationship, however. He actually focuses on school instead of pranking or paying attention to Casey. He gets really good marks during his senior year, and along with his hockey skills, they're good enough to get him into Queen's, the top university Casey wants to attend. (Sure, she may be acting like a total jerk now, but he still doesn't want to lose her in the long run.)

When Truman cheats on her with Icky Vicky, he does feel bad. After all, the girl he really likes is crying over someone who is totally not worth the time of day, let alone a display of Niagara Falls 2.0. He feels some sympathy at first, but then all he can think about afterwards is that horrible feeling in his stomach and heart whenever he thought about her and Truman being together in the first place.

She doesn't have a date to prom, and neither does he, but there's not a chance in _hell_ that he's taking her, because she broke his damn heart earlier this year, and he's not going to let that pass by him so easily. Truman cheating wasn't punishment enough for the way he's felt his entire senior year, so he decides to take Emily to prom in order to spite Casey more.

Oh, and as an added bonus, he makes Truman beg Casey to go to prom with him.

Never did he expect her to get _back together_ with him. He thought it would just be an awful prom date, but _no_, Truman makes up some sob story and suddenly Casey is back in his clutches again. (Probably because he's Emily's _boyfriend _now.)

Well, if she wants to play mind games, he's more than willing to participate. His supposed-to-be-short-lived relationship with Emily can go on as long as it takes before his stepsister breaks.

* * *

**Counseling Report – Paul Greeby**

**5/25/09**

**Student Name: **Casey McDonald

**Grade:** 12

**Reason for appointment: **Graduation

Today is Casey's last appointment with me. It's with a heavy heart that I say goodbye and wish her all the best in life. She's a great girl, and I know she'll make the right choices, hopefully one of them being her stepbrother. Maybe if she can get over this 'Futuritis' and fear of what others will think, they can have a good chance together. In all my years of teaching at a high school full of drama and relationships, I can honestly say that I've never seen two people more perfect for each other, nor have I seen such a spirited, passionate young woman. This is probably more personal than a report should be, but after four years of learning about Casey McDonald and Derek Venturi, I wouldn't write this any other way.

* * *

It's a few weeks after graduation, and she and Truman are sitting on the couch, a bowl of popcorn between them. They're having a normal movie date – until half a dozen people burst through the front door.

Derek, Emily, Sam, Ralph, and Amanda were all supposed to go on some big outing, but they get rained out, so Derek invites them all back to the house… Presumably to interrupt her and Truman.

The movie is instantly drowned out by the loud chatter of her stepbrother and his friends, and she glares at the group as they all plop down on the couches and chairs around her and her boyfriend.

There is _no way_ Derek is going to ruin her night. She leaps up from the couch and makes her way over to the window seat, opening and extracting the board game she's looking for.

"HEY!" she yells, and the rest of the room goes silent as they stare at her. "Thank you." she says calmly. "Since you're all here, why don't we play a game together?" She cheerily walks over to the carpet and sets the game box down.

Derek groans, but the rest of the group either shrugs or complies. They all sit on the floor, gathering around the game.

"What are we playing?" Amanda asks, looping her arm in Ralph's.

"Whoonu. It's kind of like a test to see how well you know a person's favourites. It'll be fun!" she says, holding the box out and pushing it towards Emily. Her best friend smiles.

"I bet I know Derek _so_ well!" Emily says, nudging her boyfriend playfully. Derek gives a very unconvincing smile that borders on the edge of uncomfortableness. She feels sick to her stomach.

"_Yeah, you would know all about him considering you practically stalked him for your whole life."_ she thinks resentfully while handing out the cards to everyone in the circle. Truman looks less than enthused, eyeing his cards with distaste.

"Okay, who wants to go first?" she questions, looking round at everyone with excitement.

"I will." Sam volunteers, raising his hand to be a good sport.

"Now everyone pass the card you think Sam would like the most towards him. He'll shuffle them so he's not biased, and then put them in the order he likes the most. We'll earn points accordingly." she instructs, and Truman rolls his eyes, flinging a card towards the center without any discretion. She shoots him a disapproving glare and he shrugs.

Sam picks up all the cards and shuffles them when everyone is done. He lines them up and announces that "hockey" won, much to Derek's delight.

"You _would_ get that card." she says as Derek tallies the points.

"Bitter much?" Derek shoots back at her. "So I got lucky with that one, but I guarantee I won't _have_ to be lucky with the rest to win this game."

She opens her mouth to retort, but Sam cuts in. "Can we _not_ trash talk each other? Honestly, you two."

"Yeah, sorry." she apologizes and distributes one more card to everyone. Amanda is up next, and Ralph wins by placing the 'shoes' card in the pile, though she highly doubts that was intentional.

Ralph is sitting next to Amanda, and Derek wins that round with the 'music' card.

It's her turn. She picks up the cards everyone hands to her. _"Cloud watching, coffee, pickles, green, walking the dog, flowers." _she reads to herself, and then puts them in order.

"Who did the worst?" Derek asks her in anticipation, sounding way more intrigued than she thought he would, considering he didn't even want to play this game to begin with.

"Well… I don't even have a dog, so that did the worst." she chuckles, holding up the card and expecting Amanda to be the one who handed it to her.

"Oh darn. I thought you did for some reason." Truman speaks up beside her, and her heart sinks.

"No. I've never had a dog. Do you even _see_ a dog?" she says, and her words come out with a bit of hurt and anger. _How could he not know that?_

Truman merely shakes his head. She tries to keep arguing with him but then-

"We get it. Truman is a crappy listener and observer. Keep going!" Derek says.

She sighs, continuing the game with less vigor. "Pickles are supremely disgusting." Amanda takes the card back from her, and she gives a sympathetic look.

"I don't really care for coffee at all. I prefer hot tea." She's surprised as Emily gives a groan.

"Green is alright, but not my favourite colour." Ralph takes the card back, looking pleased that he wasn't the worst.

"Flowers?" she asks, and Sam happily accepts the card back.

She only has one card left in her hand, and she realizes who it must belong to. "I love cloud watching." she mumbles, and Derek lets out a victorious whoop.

"Yes! I knew it!" He takes the card back from her, and everyone stares at him in confusion and shock. "What?" he questions, looking around at everyone's faces. "I'm competitive! I want to win."

"I think we're_ more_ shocked that you actually know something about Casey." Emily explains, raising her eyebrows.

"I've only lived with her for four years." he says nonchalantly. "After a while you start to pick up on things. I know she likes all this romantic stuff like cloud gazing..." Her heart leaps in her chest. _Romantic?_ She can't help but recall the first day of summer after grade nine when they sat on the school roof and looked at the sky together.

"Let's just get on with the game." Derek says, and she quickly snaps out of her memory, distributing more cards.

And so the game goes on with a distinct pattern. Naturally, she knows a lot about her best friend and boyfriend, but the person she knows the best is Derek. He seems to know her the best as well. No one else even gets a chance to score as they continue to, essentially, read each other's minds.

They've gone around the circle about ten times when she wins another Derek round with the card 'guitar solos.' She sees Sam mouth "who the hell would know that?" to Ralph when she says that his favourite guitar solo is the long, climactic middle in _Muse_'s "Hysteria." Derek's grinning widely at her, and she smiles back, starting to explain how she found out this little known fact.

"Can we stop playing?" Truman interjects before she can go any further. "Derek and Casey are racking in all the points, and no one else is having fun besides them. And it's starting to creep me out how well they know each other."

She blushes, the room suddenly filled with tension as she realizes everyone is staring at her. Emily looks furious. "Um, yeah, sure." She throws her cards down. "We can play a different game!"

"Actually, I think I'm just going to go." Truman says, giving her a hasty kiss on the cheek, proceeding to get up and leave.

"Oh… okay." she says, disheartened. "Bye, Truman." He doesn't even bother turning around to wave as he grabs his coat and heads out the door.

"I should probably head out too." Sam announces. Ralph and Amanda are gone in a flash as well, the awkwardness becoming ever prominent as she, Emily, and Derek are the only ones left in the room. She says goodbye to everyone as they file out the door, trying to prolong their stay, but as she turns back towards the couch she sees a very angry Emily glowering at her.

"I cannot believe this." Emily says loudly, turning her attention to Derek.

"I'm just going to go upstairs and… write." she says softly, hoping the couple will hear her, but apparently Emily has other plans.

"No, Casey. You're part of the problem too." Emily snaps, and she sighs, reluctantly taking a seat in Derek's chair next to the couch.

"I don't see what the big deal is." Derek says, shrugging his shoulders. "Why is everyone acting all _unnerved_?"

Emily huffs. "You knew everything about Casey! Even the minutest of details! You won every round of Who-sa-whatsitcalled-"

"Whoonu." she says under her breath.

"Whatever." Emily says quickly, brushing her comment off. "That isn't normal. For someone who claims to hate his stepsister, you sure do know a lot about her."

"Just because you hate someone doesn't mean you don't know anything about them!" Derek protests. "You know a lot about Hitler, don't you?"

"Excuse me? Did you just compare me to _Hitler_?" she asks incredulously, and his and Emily's argument is abandoned as he turns to her.

"Sure. Just slap on a moustache and the resemblance is _uncanny."_

"Oh, really? You're comparing _me_ to Hitler when you're the one who goes ordering people around and torturing people for sheer pleasure?"

"The man was totally neurotic. You two are a couple of peas in a pod!"

"Oh yeah? Well at least I-"

She never gets the chance to finish her sentence as Emily steps between them, holding her arms out. "Knock it off!" she yells, and they both go silent. Emily looks at her boyfriend. "I'm sick of you two fighting, but mostly I'm sick of how you're always putting Casey first! Derek, we're through." she says harshly, and walks to the door, throwing her coat over her shoulder. "I hope you two are happy together!" And with that, she opens the door, walks out, and swings it shut, a loud BAM resounding throughout the house.

There is a moment of awkward silence before he speaks up. "_What_ was that all about?"

"I… have no clue." she lies, sinking further into his chair. She knows very well what that was. That was Emily breaking up with Derek because he cares more about his stepsister than his girlfriend – because he _knows _more about his stepsister than his girlfriend.

"Are you… going to go after her? Apologize?" she asks hesitantly, and he gives a small frown.

"No. There's no point. We were going to break up before university anyway."

"Oh." she nods, indicating that she understands, and she thinks she feels some kind of… hope?

"Yeah." he stands up and she thinks he's going to leave her and go upstairs, but instead he walks over to her. Her heart pounds in her chest. "Now give me back my chair."

She shakes her head teasingly and the tension is finally broken when he sits on her lap and she laughs, squirming to break free as he purposefully crushes her.

It seems that things are finally back to normal for the first time in a _long _time.

* * *

_**Playlist D**_

_**Song**__ Hysteria __**Artist**__ Muse __**Plays**__ 205_

_It's bugging me, grating me__  
__And twisting me around__  
__Yeah I'm endlessly caving in__  
__And turning inside out_

_'Cause I want it now__  
__I want it now__  
__Give me your heart and your soul__  
__And I'm breaking out__  
__I'm breaking out__  
__Last chance to lose control_

_It's holding me, morphing me__  
__And forcing me to strive__  
__To be endlessly cold within__  
__And dreaming I'm alive_

_'cause I want it now__  
__I want it now__  
__Give me your heart and your soul__  
__And I'm not breaking down__  
__I'm breaking out__  
__Last chance to lose control_

_And I want you now__  
__I want you now__  
__I'll feel my heart implode__  
__And I'm breaking out__  
__Escaping now__  
__Feeling my faith erode_

_

* * *

_

_AustenLvr: _Derek, can I ask you a question?

_KingofBabes91:_ Go for it, Princess.

_AustenLvr: _Okay… Well, it's kind of a very personal question. Um. A very personal topic.

_KingofBabes91:_ Alright... About what?

_AustenLvr:_ Um… sex.

_KingofBabes91:_ Oh, good lord. Didn't you pay attention in health class?

_AustenLvr:_ They didn't teach me what I want to know!

_KingofBabes91: _Ugh… Fine. What is it?

_AustenLvr: _What's it like?

_KingofBabes91:_ What's **what** like?

_AustenLvr: _You know… sex.

_KingofBabes91:_ Um, Case… I think you're asking the wrong person.

_AustenLvr: _Why, you don't like to talk about it?

_KingofBabes91: _No, I can't tell you because I've… never done it.

_AustenLvr: …_Not even with Sally?

_KingofBabes91:_ Nope.

_AustenLvr: _Oh.

_KingofBabes91: _If you really want to know you should probably go to uh… let's see… Ralph. Or Kendra. Or even Schlepper.

_AustenLvr: _What? Ew, ew! Gross! TMI, Derek!

_KingofBabes91:_ Just speaking the truth!

_AustenLvr: _Still… ew.

So… why haven't you? I mean, I guess I just assumed that you were because you have that whole… reputation going on.

_KingofBabes91: _If there's one thing my mom taught me, it's that the first girl I should have sex with is the first girl I want to marry.

_AustenLvr:_ Wise words from Abby. So… you didn't want to marry Sally?

_KingofBabes91:_ No, of course not! I mean, sure, I really liked her, but I didn't want to **marry** her! Did you ever notice how much she bossed me around? She kind of tried to change me, Case. Don't get me wrong, Sally's a great girl! But… I could never marry someone who didn't love me for me.

_AustenLvr:_ Wow. You know, Der, you have a lot more common sense than I give you credit for.

_KingofBabes91:_ Um… thanks?

So, why do you want to know? Thinking about losing it to Trollman?

_AustenLvr:_ What? No! Oh, god, no!

_KingofBabes91:_ Way to sound completely repulsed about your own boyfriend.

_AustenLvr:_ It's just that… He's probably had sex with like ten other girls already. I don't… I mean, it wouldn't be special, would it?

_KingofBabes91:_ Exactly why I'm saving myself for someone, as cheesy as that sounds. As much as I hate sounding sensitive, I really do care about the feelings of the girls I go out with. I really **want** to have sex, trust me. But I try to practice some self-control in that area, because I don't want to screw myself over with that girl that I really **love**.

_AustenLvr:_ Please don't take this the wrong way, but you are just making yourself **more **attractive, Derek. God, if I thought the girls were after you **before,** I don't even know what they would do if they found out this information.

_KingofBabes91:_ Heh. I try, I try. ;)

But I have a question for you, Case.

_AustenLvr: _What is it?

_KingofBabes91:_ Why are you still going out with Truman? I thought we established that you are the girl who dates to find her husband. If you don't even want to have sex with him… where is this going? I'm sorry. I just don't get it.

Plus, you deserve better. Um, don't you want someone who cares about you more than any other girl? You shouldn't be with a guy who believes in one night stands. You shouldn't be with a guy who blows you off to go to monster truck rallies or doesn't even know that you don't have a dog.

…Case?

Casey?

_AustenLvr has signed out._

_

* * *

_

She breaks it off with Truman the day after her conversation with Derek. She shouldn't have even taken him back. She knows that was Derek being manipulative, and that hurts, but she supposes she deserves it for going out with Truman in the first place _knowing_ that it would upset Derek.

She doesn't like Truman. She never really liked Truman. She likes Derek, and it's stupid to pretend that any other guy could possibly make her happy. Distractions. That's all they are. She accepts the fact that she has more than a crush on her stepbrother. This 'more than a crush' has escalated beyond 'liking' as well. She won't say that she loves him yet. That concept is too scary and too dangerous at this point in her life. But she knows she's_ falling_ in love with him more and more every day.

That's why she pours over her text books that summer, choosing to study and concentrate on school rather than Derek. She thinks that if she makes it through these few long months that _maybe_ they can possibly give it a shot at university. They won't be under their parents' watchful eyes anymore, neither will they be known as stepsiblings.

She does a great job of avoiding Derek. But she forgets about one very important thing.

Vacation.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: I cannot thank you all enough for reviewing the last chapter. You really reassured me that people are still interested in this story. This chapter gave me the opportunity to play around with a lot of emotions and show the motives behind the random love interests in Vacation with Derek. I also felt that Derek and Casey regressed in character a little in the movie, so I tried to explain that as well.**

**I also just wanted to give a special thanks to ****Camaro-Enthusiast for being so supportive and taking the time to comment on all of the little details. You really made my whole day!**

**Well, before this author's note turns into a novel, here's chapter 10! Please review if you have the time! I love hearing what you think!**

**

* * *

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_**Chapter 10: "What is the most painful is to love someone and never find the courage to let the person know how you feel." - Anonymous**_

He doesn't get why she said "same difference" when he tried to correct her union of the words 'brother' and 'stepbrother.' God, that _killed _him more than she'll ever know.

But you would think that she would take it back after Emily breaks up with him and she breaks with Truman. _You would think._

He doesn't get why she's avoiding him, either.

Maybe she's freaked out by Nora being pregnant and them sharing a half-sibling. Hell, that freaks him out too. But that doesn't give her an excuse to stay boarded up in her room all summer being a keener, _does it?_

His friends start getting pissed at him because he doesn't want to do anything anymore. He stops going to parties and hanging out with Sam and Ralph. Sometimes he just sits helplessly by the vent that connects his room to hers and listens for _any_ sort of indication that might still care about him. _Pathetic._

He does everything he can to spite her on this so-called 'family' vacation that the 'rents plan. He wasn't even planning on going, but since his dad is forcing him to go, he's going to raise hell and try to get _some_ sort of reaction out of Casey.

When she involves herself with some _bald_ _waiter_ who dances like someone out of The Sugarplum Nutcracker Lake or whatever the hell that ballet is, he's decides he's done with her.

No more games. No more waiting for _nothing._ He's tired of being consumed by a girl who's making no effort to at least humour him. He cares for her more than anyone else in the world, and – _shit – _he'll probably never stop caring, but if she doesn't want him then he needs to learn how to move on.

His new distraction takes the form of a shallow, giggly, rich brunette who probably has had more than a few hookups with the guests who visit Casey's grandmother's lodge. He doesn't even have to _try_ to win Roxy over. One look, and she's sold.

The entire vacation he never ceases to bring up the topic of _family_ to his stepsister, testing her, seeing if there's anything in her eyes that might hint that she feels sorry for what she said the night of their graduation.

Nothing.

* * *

They create this huge, elaborate talent show to save the lodge when it's threatened by Roxy's father. Twinkletoes aka Baldie aka Jesse has a dance number with her. _Lovely._

During her and Jesse's dance, he watches with jealous eyes. Sure, he's supposed be getting over, but he's still not quite there. He recalls when _they _were up on stage dancing together, the chemistry far more prominent, the spark he saw in her eye as he lifted her into the air and gently twirled her around. He never told her this, but he kept the video of that dance stored on his computer. He watches it occasionally, memorizing the looks they give each other, memorizing the way his hands linger on her hips.

He runs into her after the dance in some storage room behind the stage. He only went back there to find another cashbox for the money they've been making, but instead he finds _her._

"Hi." she says casually.

"Hello." he turns his back on her and starts rifling through some of the boxes on the floor.

"Are you going to patch things up with that Roxy girl?"

"I already did."

He finds what he's looking for and when he turns back around, she's standing right there. He drops the cashbox in shock and, _thankfully_, it doesn't land on either of their feet.

"Jesus, Casey. No need to give me a heart attack!"

He bends down to pick it up, but she beats him to it, holding it out to him with a slight smile on her face. It quickly vanishes when he snatches it forcefully from her, frowning.

He's already halfway to the door when she calls out.

"Jesse. He'll probably try to kiss me." she says, and he whips around to look at her, confused.

"I've already kissed Roxy." he says, and it comes out more coldly than expected.

"Oh."

She looks genuinely upset, and it's the most emotion he's seen her portray this entire summer – at least in his presence anyway

"It wasn't anything special."

"So you're just using her for her air conditioning and her pool?" Her tone gets angrier with every word, and she straightens up, looking him in the eye. "Or maybe you're just _horny_ and want to get some from a bimbo who's always in a bikini!"

"Casey!" He yells, dropping the cashbox on one ground and putting a hand over her mouth in fear that someone might hear. He doesn't want to smile, but she's _jealous. _She's actually jealous, and _that_ means she still cares… "It's not like that, okay? I already told you that I haven't had sex yet. And I'm certainly not going to _marry_ Roxy."

She pushes his hand away forcefully and whispers, "then what's the point of this relationship? No, wait, I'm sorry! This _fling?"_ Her voice escalades and he puts a finger to his mouth, trying to shush her. "Are you attempting to get back at me for dating Truman? Because I think I've been hurt enough from both him _and_ you!"

"I'll end it with her!" he says in desperation, throwing his hands in the air.

"Asking him to go to prom with me so you could go with Emily! Oh, the nerve!"

"Casey, I said I'll end it with her!" He places his hands on her shoulders and she breathes in and out, trying to make sense of what he just said.

"What?"

"Roxy and I are through, okay? Kaput." A strand of Casey's hair falls in front of her face, and he gently brushes it behind her ear. "I didn't think you cared. You avoided me all summer. I thought-"

She puts a finger to his lips and silences him. He sees a small smile forming on her face. "I… I was waiting until university." His heart leaps in his chest as she whispers the last sentence. "And I… I'm still a little scared."

"Me too." he admits, hanging his head. _He's_ not supposed to be scared. He's supposed to be Derek Venturi, the tough guy, the guy that has no weaknesses. This… isn't right.

"If Jesse tries to kiss me, promise you'll do something to stop him?" she requests, and all he can do is nod his head. She grins up at him.

"I'm going to go get this cashbox to Felicia… and find Roxy." he says quickly, before things get too heavy. He places a kiss on the top of her head. "I'll see you later."

* * *

At the party celebrating the lodge being saved, he allows himself to dance a few songs with Roxy before he breaks up with her. She moves closer to him but he leans away from her to look her in the eyes. "Look, Roxy-"

"What's with the talking?" she giggles, placing her arms around his neck.

"I don't think this is going to work." he says hastily, closing his eyes and wishing for the best.

"Oh. Right." He squints one eye open and she drops her hands back to her sides. "Well that was pretty short-lived, even for a fling."

"What?"

"I mean, I didn't really expect us to last long. I just thought you might stay with me at least until you left."

She doesn't seem upset or angry. Just… disappointed. He breathes out a sigh of relief.

"I haven't been completely honest with you." he says, daring to tell her the truth. "See that girl over there?" He nods with his head, indicating his stepsister dancing with Jesse. "I've sort of liked her for four years now and…"

"Derek, you don't have to make up excuses." Roxy says. She gives him a faint smile. "I get it. We're done. It's fine."

She gives him a quick peck on the cheek and saunters over to the juice bar. He looks at her in shock as she flirts with the worker there. Well… That was a lot easier than he expected. All of his past breakups were far more dramatic. He glances over to where Casey was dancing a few moments ago, but he can't bring himself to do anything yet. He decides to sit in one of the lounge chairs and calm himself down before confronting her.

His breakup with Roxy means something extremely important and overwhelming and amazing all at once. Casey and him might actually get to be together. _They might actually get to be together._

His heart races and he can't help but smile. He imagines what it would be like to be the one to kiss her, the one to finally hold her hand and tell her she's beautiful and treat her the way that none of her other boyfriends treated her. He gets antsy, his knee bobbing up and down as he looks at her with Jesse, wondering what she must be thinking. She looks like she might be having _fun,_ and this scares him a bit.

Jesse swoops in to kiss her, and that's his cue. He rushes over and grabs her arm, swinging her around and placing his hand on her waist.

"Der-ek!" she protests at first, putting on a show for Jesse's benefit, but then she relaxes in his arms as they dance closer than her and Jesse ever danced, their bodies melding together perfectly. She looks happier than he's seen her look all summer, and he smiles. They dance the rest of the night together.

* * *

It's one AM when things finally settle down and almost all the guests have gone back to their respective cabins. He's still on a high from everything that has happened, and he doesn't think that he'll get to sleep any time soon. Casey is clinging to his arm as they run out of the restaurant, both of them laughing at the memory of his dad dancing.

Their giggles subside and he looks at her fondly. "I'm not even tired."

"Me either." she smiles, gripping his arm tighter.

"Change into your bathing suit and meet me in the lake, then." he whispers in her ear, and he takes pleasure in the fact that little goose bumps rise on her neck.

"Okay." she says, and they part ways as he rushes to the pier, stripping off his shirt and shoes so that he's only in his shorts. He jumps in the lake and treads water, waiting for Casey to arrive.

She takes less time than expected. He thinks she must've run, and this only makes the grin on his face grow wider. She lets out a shriek of delight as she charges for the lake, jumping in and splashing him. She surfaces, laughing as he sputters, spitting water out of his mouth.

She giggles as spits water at her. "Der-ek! Ew!" she pushes him under, but she's still laughing as she does so.

He somehow manages to find her ankle in the dark water, and he grabs it, yanking her under the water. They continue their game of push and shove, all the while smiling.

This doesn't feel like his life. It's too perfect to be his life. Things have to come crashing down on him eventually. This just can't be real.

Unfortunately, he's never been more right.

"Der, _Der, _I have to tell you something!" Casey says, splashing him playfully to get his attention, their game coming to sudden end. Even though she's still trying to make the situation light, he feels something change in the air between them.

"What is it?" he asks, hoisting himself up onto the pier, his legs still in the water. He looks down at her and she swims towards him, putting her hands on his knees. His heart flutters in his chest.

"I was offered a job… dancing with Jesse." His eyes widen and she keeps hers cast downward, her thumbs gently caressing his knees. He breathes in. "It's in New York." she finishes, finally looking up at him.

"Oh." he says simply, placing his hands on top of hers. She leans into his legs and smiles. He doesn't ask her if she's going to take the job. He doesn't say anything else, because that might spoil the moment. And spoiling this moment would be one of the dumbest things he's ever done.

He parts his knees and she swims closer to him, occupying the space between his legs, her hands still resting on his thighs. She uses them to push herself up, and she shifts herself so that she's sitting on one of his legs. She giggles as he raises an eyebrow at her, and he leans forward, sending them both into the water.

He surfaces first, laughing as she emerges from the lake, yelling "Der!" She splashes him and he ducks beneath the water, swimming underneath her and strategically balancing her on his shoulders. She shrieks in delight as he grips her legs close to his chest. She covers his eyes with her hands, and they're falling in the water again, having the time of their lives as the rest of the lodge sleeps, unaware of the stepsiblings having a water fight in the middle of the lake.

Finally they both get tired of treading water, and they lay on the inland pier, staring up at the sky, their chests heaving in and out.

"This is beautiful." she says, looking at the stars. He sees her eyes glisten in the moonlight and he gets an idea.

"Hey, wait here a minute, okay?" He gets up, still dripping wet. "I'll be right back."

She nods confusedly and he takes off towards their cabin, sneaking in and quietly grabbing what he needs so he doesn't wake up the rest of the sibs. He returns to Casey a few minutes later with a few towels and blankets in hand.

"Derek, what're you…" Her sentence trails off as she stares at what he's holding. He gives her a towel and uses another to dry himself off, though he's pretty much already dry from his run back and forth.

"Thanks." she gratefully accepts the towel and wrings her hair out before he hands her a few blankets.

"What're these for?" she asks, looking quizzically at him.

"I figured we could spend the night out here." he says, shrugging. "It beats having to stay in that creaky bunk or the old couch. Plus, it's really nice out and-"

She covers his mouth with her hand, silencing him. "Okay." she says simply, and she smiles before laying the comforter on the pier and wrapping another blanket around her. She bundles her towel up and uses it as a make-shift pillow, placing it under her head. He mirrors her actions.

They lay there not talking for a while, letting the darkness surround them, the sounds of the lake soothing and calm.

"Goodnight, Der." she finally says, casting one last glance his way.

"Night, Case." His heart pounds in his chest, still unable to comprehend what is going on. This is so surreal.

Their hands move together, touching ever-so-slightly under the blankets. They don't move any closer. He thinks it's because they're still afraid of what could actually happen. (This is how he's feeling, at least.)

She falls asleep before him. He can tell by the rhythm and slowing of her breathing. Her hand becomes slack over his, but he doesn't move, unwilling to break from her.

He doesn't understand why she would bring up New York if she wasn't considering it. She must be thinking about going, and he doesn't know what he'll do if she does. He purposefully made sure that they were going to the same university, and if she abandons him…

He shudders, drawing his blanket up to his bare chest, still not daring to scoot any closer to Casey.

* * *

_**Playlist D**_

_**Song **__Heartbeats__** Artist**__ Jose Gonzalez __**Plays**__ 13_

_One night to be confused__  
__One night to speed up truth__  
__We had a promise made__  
__Four hands and then away_

_Both under influence__  
__We had divine scent__  
__To know what to say__  
__Mind is a razor blade_

_To call for hands of above__  
__To lean on__  
__Wouldn't be good enough__  
__For me, no_

_One night of magic rush__  
__The start a simple touch__  
__One night to push and scream__  
__And then relief_

_Ten days of perfect tunes__  
__The colors red and blue__  
__We had a promise made__  
__We were in love_

_

* * *

_

"Casey! Derek?"

She jolts awake, the back of her head hitting wood as she jumps in surprise. She clutches her head with a sharp intake of breath and squints her eyes, looking up. Everything is fuzzy.

She holds her head still and the image of her grandmother wearing a towel swims into focus. "Gran?"

"What are you two _doing_ out here?" Felicia asks, looking appalled. She only then realizes that Derek is sitting beside her, clutching a blanket to his chest. He's only wearing a swimsuit. _She's _only wearing a swimsuit!

She hastily gathers up her blanket and wraps it around her paling form in embarrassment. "This isn't what it looks like, Gran."

"Yeah, Casey and I were just spending the night outside because it was really nice." Derek pipes up beside her, his voice cracking, only condemning them further.

"Really _nice_?" Felicia's voice is somehow still ten octaves higher than Derek's pubescent one. She seems livid. "Oh, I_ bet_ it was really nice." Her grandmother turns on her. _Oh no._ "Cassandra, I cannot believe you. I can see Derek doing something like this, but I didn't think you would be one to compromise your moral integrity, especially with someone who is practically your _brother! _And what happened to Jesse? Are you just going pretend like… this never happened? You should be ashamed of yourself."

"Gran!" she yells, her face burning bright red. "First of all, Derek is still a virgin!"

"Casey!" Derek looks at her, horrified that she's disclosing this information to her grandmother, but she ignores him.

"Nothing happened last night. I swear. There's nothing going on between Derek and me." Her heart sinks. "_It's not true."_ she tells herself. "There's nothing going on between Jesse and me, either, for that matter. He's my dance partner. That's it." She breathes in. "And lastly, Derek is my _step_brother – no genetic link, no blood ties, no family relation. I will _never_ consider him my brother."

Felicia looks taken aback, her eyebrows rising in surprise. "Well, I see where your loyalties lie."

"Derek is my best friend, Gran." she says slowly and deliberately, trying to keep calm and not freak out like her usual self would in this situation. _Then again, her usual self wouldn't __**be**__ in this situation._ "We just slept out here. You have to believe I'm telling the truth when I say nothing happened." Her eyes fall on her grandmother's towel and she questions, "what are you doing out here?"

Felicia opens her mouth slightly, stuttering, and Derek mumbles, "you don't want to know."

Felicia's eyes narrow and her resolve doesn't soften. She rounds on Derek. "You'd _better_ not be sleeping with my granddaughter."

"I'm not." Derek chokes out, and it looks as if any sort of consensus between these two is broken now. She doesn't have any respect or trust for him, and he was just accused by her for something very serious.

"Good, because the _last_ thing we need is another baby coming along."

"Gran!" she shouts angrily, crossing her arms and looking at her grandmother in irritation and surprise. "I thought we were okay…"

"Yes, well… I don't know if anything will be okay between us after witnessing _this _incident." She nods between them, indicating that she still doesn't believe them.

"I'm only going to say this one more time." She stands up now so that she's on eye level with her grandma, her face set in determination. "Derek and I did not sleep together." Her cheeks flush pink with this statement, but she stands her ground. "But even if we did, it would be none of your business, anyway."

Felicia's mouth drops as she holds out her hand to Derek to help him up. "Come on, Der." He looks at her in shock but takes her hand anyway, hoisting himself up off the ground, his blanket falling around his ankles. "Let's get out of here."

She squeezes his hand and pulls him away from her grandma, making sure to shoot her a dirty look before marching towards the cabins with Derek in tow.

"Cassandra! Out of all the things… I never-"

She doesn't even bother looking back at her grandma to yell sarcastically, "Goodbye, Gran!"

Her pace doesn't slow until Derek lags behind her, forcing her to stop in order for him to catch his breath.

"Case… Case, are you going to be okay?" he asks her, letting go of her hand to rest his hands on his knees and take in deep breaths of air.

She's fuming, her nostrils flaring and her fists clenched. She just wants to _punch_ something – a feeling of rage that she's never truly had before. She was never one to escalade to violence… Well, unless Derek is the one provoking her. But that was a different sort of anger. Right now she could honestly beat the hell out of something if given the opportunity.

"I can't _believe _her!" she shrieks, holding her hands up and looking around for something to hit. There are trees surrounding them, but there's no way she's going to be stupid enough to plant her fist in something that could break her fingers.

The only other thing around is Derek, but she's not mad at _him._ She can't hurt someone she cares about most at the moment. Instead she throws her hands into the air and screams. "Shoot!" she yells. "Ugh!"

Derek stands upright and approaches her. "Punch me." he says firmly. She stops her little tantrum and looks at him.

"What-"

"Punch me."

"Derek, I couldn't. I won't. You don't-"

"Do it."

He stands in front of her, his arms hanging loosely at his sides, his eyes completely serious. "Casey, I know you're mad. I know you need something to take your anger out on. So punch me."

She gives him an apologetic look before swinging her fist into his chest. She cries out in anger, hitting him again, again, _again._ Hitting her Gran, hitting George and her mom for getting married, hitting her dad for being so _stupid._ Hitting him for everything he ever did to her that made her feel like complete and total _shit._

Hitting him for making her fall in love with him so irrationally and uncharacteristically.

Her punches grow weary and she can't even see anymore because of the tears that are flowing freely down her face. She sinks to the ground and Derek sinks with her, putting his hands on her shoulders and reassuring her that he's there.

She recoils from his touch, her skin burning where his hands met her flesh.

What will the rest of the world think of them if her own grandmother, someone who _loves_ her is so appalled? What will her mom and George think? She thought university would be a good time for them to get together because they would be able to start over, but they would still be a secret. One big secret. She doesn't know if she would be able to deal with the guilt. And what would happen if they became serious? No. What would happen _when_ they became serious?

They would rip the family apart. Or George and her mom would rip them apart. Either way, hearts would be broken. Things would become more complicated when people would find out they are stepsiblings – that they _share_ a sibling.

The hurt in his eyes is almost more than she can bear.

"I just need to be alone right now." She can't even bring herself to let his name fall from her lips, creeping feelings of shame filling her to the brim.

"Okay." he says simply, unable to read her mind, unable to see the emotion that she's trying to portray with that single sentence. "I understand."

_No, you don't._

She can't crush his hopes right now. She can't.

"Okay." She stands up and brushes the tears from her eyes before taking off towards the cabins, never looking back.

* * *

She doesn't realize she's already made up her mind until she's sitting next to Derek in The Prince as they're driving back to London.

She's going to New York.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Wow, you all never cease to make me smile with your reviews! One of the first scenes I ever wrote for this story is in the chapter, so I can't wait to see what you guys think. Please take the time to review if you can! It really means a lot to me!**

* * *

_**Chapter 11: "If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they're yours; if they don't, they never were." - Anonymous**_

_AustenLvr is signed on._

_KingofBabes91is signed on._

_KingofBabes91: _Case! Good, you're online.

_AustenLvr: _What is it, Derek?

_KingofBabes91: _I just wanted to talk to you… unless you don't want to.

_AustenLvr: _No, that's fine.

_KingofBabes91: _Okay… So… What are you doing up at 3 AM?

_AustenLvr: _Thinking.

_KingofBabes91: _About what? :)

_AustenLvr: _Nothing important, really.

_KingofBabes91: _Oh. Um… You want to talk about vacation? I mean… I guess I thought things might be a little different now.

_AustenLvr: _I think we should wait to talk about that.

_KingofBabes91: _Alright, that's fine. I've waited 4 years, so a few days aren't going to hurt. ;) University in a week and a half! Can you believe it?

_AustenLvr: _Nope.

_KingofBabes91: _Did I do something wrong, Case?

_AustenLvr: _No, of course not. I don't want you to think that.

_KingofBabes91: _Then what **do** you want me to think?

_AustenLvr: _I'm just a little upset right now. It has nothing to do with you.

_KingofBabes91: _If it has something to do with you, then it has something to do with me. That's just the way it is now.

_AustenLvr: _Derek…

_KingofBabes91: _Are you still upset about your gran? I know that was hard for you to talk to her like that, but I'm really proud of you. Are you nervous about university? I am. But we will be able to get through it together. Are you worried about us? Because I used to be… but I know that it's going to be perfect. Just perfect. :)

_AustenLvr: _Derek, I'm not… I don't… Let's not talk about this.

_KingofBabes91: _I just want you to know that it's going to be okay. If you're scared then that's okay. I'm here. I'm going to be here.

_AustenLvr: _You're making this so hard for me…

_KingofBabes91: _Making what so hard? I'm trying to make it easy! You're the one being all cryptic and weird. Can't you just tell me what you're feeling?

_AustenLvr has signed out._

_KingofBabes91: _What the hell?

* * *

Her whole body shakes violently as she dials Jesse's number to tell him the news about New York. When it's all said and done, she still doesn't feel right about her decision, her stomach in knots, this horrible foreboding feeling in her chest. When she's finished with the call, she drops her phone on the floor, buries her face in her hands, and just cries. She wonders if this was the other way around – if she was going to Queen's and rejecting the invitation to New York - would she be crying this hard?

"Hey, Space Case, have you seen my-" Derek barges into her room and stops short when he sees her crying. He backs up, his pupils growing wide.

"Whoa, whoa, why are you-"

"I'm going to New York."

"What?"

"I'm going to-"

"No, I heard you the first time. Just… why are you crying?" He inches a little closer to her, even daring to sit in her desk chair. She can see the colour draining from his face, and she's not sure if it's from the news he just heard or because she's bawling her eyes out.

"I don't know." she says slowly, bringing her hand up to wipe at her tears.

He looks round and finds a box of tissues on her desk. He tosses her the whole box rather than just one tissue.

"Thanks…" she says, and they just sit there for a bit, the only sound is her sniffles and nose-blowing.

"So… you're not going to Queen's?" This only makes her cry harder, reality hitting her hard and fast.

"No, Derek. I'm not."

He stares at her and she sees him gulp, his face growing whiter and whiter by the minute. "But, I thought…" Her mind is reeling. This is the most emotion she's ever seen him portray. He's stripped bare in front of her, and she feels almost like she's seeing him for the first time, his eyes glassing over.

"Der-" she starts.

"I just kind of thought we were going to be there together. It was just this… idea I got used to."

"Derek, this kind of opportunity doesn't come along every day."

"I know that. I just… need some time to absorb this." He gets up and starts pacing the room, looking flustered and frustrated.

"Der…"

"I mean, it's going to be weird, different without you." he cuts her off.

"Der!"

"But, what's four years of living together, right? It's not like we're _friends _anyway." This stops her from trying to get his attention, the words stinging at her heart. "I was just used to the idea of continuing to prank you and tease you and ruin your day. I'm fine without you, though. I was fine for those 14 years before you showed up in my life." His words render her breathless, creating this lump in her throat that she can't seem to swallow. "You know what, _go _to New York! Nothing's stopping you from pursuing a stupid dream that isn't going to get you anywhere in life!" He stops his rant and the tears are pouring out of her eyes again.

"Oh, so now dancing is _stupid_?" she yells at him, choking on her tears.

"Yeah, it is!" He has stopped pacing and is now facing her, his eyes blazing with anger. "Since when have you wanted to dance for a living? I thought that was just a side thing! You're too smart to let all that brain go to waste!"

Her face scrunches up, her throat becoming sore and a massive headache forming right above her left eye. "You are being _so _selfish!" she yells at him, truly angry at the words that are coming out of his mouth. This isn't some stupid Derek-Casey fight. This is _real._ "Trying to get me to stay back with you because you need a victim to prank? Or maybe because you think you can cheat off of my work or hit on my friends? Why can't you just let me do what I want? Why do you _always _have to get involved in my life when it's none of your business!"

He just looks at her, his chest heaving in and out, his scowl so penetrating that she has to look away. "_I'm _being selfish?" he asks finally, a forced calmness in his voice. "I wasn't _planning _on pranking you or hitting on your friends or cheating off of your work! _I'm_ not the one moving away from my family and chasing some self-fulfilling goal. _I'm_ not the one running off with someone who's almost a complete stranger as opposed to sticking with someone I've known for four years and getting a university education to go on and be something!"

He storms towards her door and yanks it open, the hinges creaking with his forcefulness. "And maybe you should think about how involved you are in _my_ life before you accuse me of invading yours." he says before exiting and slamming the door shut.

She shrieks in rage and hurls herself down into her pillows, crying still. She realizes this decision is way more than Queen's verses New York, or dancing verses education.

She is choosing to _leave him,_ to leave behind a relationship, and that is potentially the scariest thought she's had all day.

He refuses to talk to her for the rest of the summer, but she doesn't change her mind because she's stubborn, and if he isn't going to talk to her about this, then she's not going to talk to him. She makes plans with her Dad to live with him in his condo in New York. She spends a lot more time with Jesse on the phone, and she's already packed and set to go a week before she actually has to leave.

She's absolutely miserable, though, never having realized before how much she took Derek for granted… how much she really talked to and interacted with him. Honestly, she thinks she may be going out of her mind, barely even _looking_ at him when they have to see each other during meals or family activities. She starts eating less, her weight dropping considerably as she has so much free time that dance practice takes up most of her day. She can't get him off her mind, crying herself to sleep at night when she recalls their fight in her head.

"_It's not like we're friends anyway." _Derek says in her mind, and she clutches her pillows to her chest, trying to fill this empty void she's had ever since they stopped talking.

The thing is, he's the best friend she's ever had. Sure, Emily is great. Emily does girly stuff with her and tells her secrets and talks about guys, but Emily doesn't get her. Emily wants to be popular, wants a boyfriend, and ignores her when she _does_ get these things. Plus, Emily really hasn't been talking to her since their fight at the beginning of the summer…

Derek… Derek _gets _her. He helps her when she loses herself. And, although it's annoying, he knows exactly what buttons to push to get her worked up. But at the worst of times, he understands exactly how to make her feel better. He knows her better than anybody.

She realizes more and more every day that she's going to be leaving her best friend - the boy she cares about more than any other person in the world. Even if they weren't to be together they could still be best friends at university… _No_. It would move beyond that. They're too drawn to each other, and being friends wouldn't be enough. New York is her only option.

Her mom starts to get worried her, and frankly the whole family is concerned that she and Derek haven't been fighting lately, but she blows the weight loss and bags under her eyes off as nerves. As for the Derek issue, she tells everyone that he's become more mature and now has no reason to talk to her now that he's not pranking her.

An eerie silence fills the house before the day she leaves for New York. Derek doesn't even come to the airport to say goodbye to her, her heart breaking as she hugs the rest of her family and boards her plane. She wonders if he would've let her give him a hug if he came. She wonders if she'll ever get a hug from him…

* * *

Stepsister whose name doesn't deserve to be mentioned,

I'm really pissed at you right now. Here I am sitting in my bedroom during the summer doing absolutely NOTHING because I have no one to prank. Hope you have fun in New York with all the homo guys who you will probably pine after since you have the worst gaydar known to mankind. I mean, Max, Truman, Noel, Jesse? Oh my god. They are all closet-cases. Uni starts for me in a few days, so I'm going to be partying it up with all those awesome older women and getting smashed while you dance and chase after guys you have no chance with. Um, I think I win.

-Derek

* * *

"Okay, let's take it back to the beginning!" her choreographer, Blue, yells, and she breathes out, clutching at a stitch in her side. You'd think five hours would be enough practice for one day, but he had them drilling the routine practically the whole day since their opening night was coming up soon.

"Come on, Casey." Jesse says, holding her upright. "He's only going to make us do it a few more times. Hurry and get into position."

"Way to be sympathetic." she mumbles under her breath, practically limping to her corner of the room. Her body is tired and sore from all the exercise, and she admits she hasn't been eating much ever since Derek stopped talking to her. This is the skinniest she's ever been. The music blasts and she groans, forcing herself into her first stance. She stumbles as soon as she starts to move.

"No, Casey!" Blue shouts over the music. "You need more control! We have no room for mistakes!"

She rolls her eyes, twirling in a circle and kicking her feet up as far as her body will allow her to. Jesse grabs her waist and lifts her up in the air, but she doesn't have enough strength to hold herself up, and she slips through his hands, landing, hard, on the floor.

"Ow!" she winces, grabbing her knee in pain.

"Are you okay?" Blue turns of the music and runs over to her. "Quick, get a pack of ice." he orders Jesse, and the man runs off to follow his commands.

"Pull your leggings up. Let me see." Blue says hastily, and she obliges. There's an angry red welt forming on her knee cap, and Blue scoffs. "I guess we're done for the day."

Jesse returns, ice in hand, and he hands the bag to her. "Go home, and don't you dare take that ice off your knee. We need you to be spick and span for tomorrow." Blue says as she nurses her injury.

That night she sits in her room with the bag of ice on her knee and just cries. Her dad doesn't get home until late. Sometimes he doesn't come home at all… so she doesn't have to worry about anyone finding her in this state.

She's tempted to sign into IM and talk to Derek, but she doesn't think he'll give her the time of day anyway. She wishes they didn't part ways on such bad terms. She might be able to survive here if she was able to talk with him and see him and –

This isn't working. She knows it isn't, but there's nothing she can do now. She was horrible to Derek, and she can't help but feel like she deserves the agony she is currently going through every day.

Everything reminds her of him. _Everything:_ that stupid background dancer whose moves barely rival Crazylegs, that orange sweater that Jesse wears to practice, the frozen meatloaf her dad brings home for them one night…

She thinks she must be going out of her mind. She only wonders how he's doing without her.

He's probably off having a grand time. He's probably already forgotten about her…

* * *

Casey,

So, truth is… this place kind of sucks. Sure, hockey is great and it's awesome when you don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to go to school, and there's a lot more freedom. But it seems like something is missing. I kind of maybe wish you were here. I mean, to help me with my grades and stuff. Because they aren't doing so well when I don't have… someone to keep me on track. I guess maybe the fam is going to come see you perform during winter break. I might come too. Even though I hate dancing. But I guess… if that's your dream… I should support you. Queen's is really missing out on someone special, though.

Love,

-Derek

* * *

"Casey, you've got to get this move down or there's no way Blue is letting you go out on stage tonight!"

Her face flushes red as Jesse yells at her in front of the whole cast of their dance show, including her understudy, Chantal. She knows Chantal is a kind girl, but she can't help but get the impression that she's enjoying the fact that she can't get this move right.

"I'm trying my best." she squeaks out, massaging her ankle as Jesse throws his hands up in the air in frustration. He wasn't like this before. She misses the fun-loving, sweet guy who was dancing for pleasure. As soon as he stepped into the role of a professional dancer, he became someone completely different.

"Can you try again?" he asks, trying to make his voice less harsh, though it isn't working very well.

"Fine." She stomps her foot down and stretches her arms towards the sky before spinning and wrapping her arms around Jesse's neck, _much tighter than necessary_. He dips her and then grabs her waist, lifts her off the ground, and throws her into the air. She twists her body and then lands, but she stumbles, losing her footing and messing up the routine.

"Damn it!" Jesse puts a hand to head, massaging his temples.

She runs from the studio and out into the hall, tears starting to spill from her eyes. She sinks down to the ground, her back against the wall.

"Cassandra? Cassandra, are you alright?" She hears Chantal's voice ringing throughout the hallway and she sees the blonde coming towards her through her tears.

"Please don't call me that." she says, wiping the tears from her cheeks as Chantal approaches her. "It's Casey."

"Sorry Cassie." Chantal says, sitting down next to her. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong, dear?"

"I left someone behind." She sniffles, the tears starting to flow again. "I left him behind."

"Who, Jesse?" Chantal questions, furrowing her brow. "No, I think it was more like he left you behind. It's alright. I know how hard it is to keep up-"

"No, no." She holds up her hands to stop the girl beside her for rambling on about something that doesn't even pertain to her situation. "I left behind someone at home." she explains, and Chantal makes a round 'O' with her lips, finally comprehending what is going on. "I had the choice to go to university with him, or come here to dance. And I chose here, and it was the biggest mistake of my life." She breaks down again, unable to control her breathing. Chantal puts a comforting hand on her back and tries to soothe her.

"There, there. You'll be alright. Homesickness is common among all of us. I missed my boyfriend very much when I came here, but after a while it will be worth it. Besides, Jesse is your boyfriend now."

"He wasn't my boyfriend." she says between great, shuddering breaths. "But I loved him." She lets herself admit it for the first time, and a huge weight seems to be lifted off of her chest. "I just wish it didn't take me leaving him for me to figure that out."

"You still love him?" Chantal asks, but it comes out more like a statement.

"Yeah. Yeah, I really do." she says without hesitation. "But it's way more complicated than just that. That's why I'm here. Because it was pretty much us against the world…"

"Kind of like Romeo and Juliet. And we all know what happened to them. I don't blame you." Chantal says encouragingly, patting her knee. She almost laughs. The poor girl doesn't know the half of what is going on. She looks her in the eye and says seriously, "I promise I won't tell Jesse."

"Thanks." She nods, and Chantal stands up and offers a hand to her. She gladly accepts and the two girls walk back into the studio, arm in arm. The next time she practices the routine, she nails it.

All she has to do is pretend that Jesse is Derek.

* * *

Case,

I miss you, okay? Every day it just… it feels like I can't breathe when you're not here. I know. I sound so cheesy and girly and crap, but I can't help this. It hurts. A lot. I've liked you for so long, and now every day I kick myself for not doing something about it. I know you liked me too. It wasn't hard to tell. I just… I thought we could have been something here. Together. I mean, I guess it's good that we _aren't_ together, because the 'rents would… have double heart attacks if we ever did get together. But… shit. I should have done something to make you stay. I should have gone to the airport and stopped you. I can't concentrate in school. I think about you all the time. I've rejected every single girl that's asked me out here. Just… none of them are you. All these… f-feelings are starting to freak me out. I need you. I don't know how I ever managed before you came along, and now I realize I can't manage with you gone. Life is total shit without you. I even miss lectures. Yeah, I know. How lame is that? I want you back so badly that I think I'd do anything right now to have you here with me.

Love,

_No_

I love you.

-Derek

* * *

Her brain nearly explodes when she walks in on Jesse putting the moves on the background dancer. She covers her mouth with her hand so that she doesn't say or scream anything, and she closes the curtain behind her, taking in deep breathes. This would be kind of funny if Jesse wasn't still dating her. _Derek would think it was funny._

She hurries and grabs her coat from the locker room, running to find Chantal and tell her that she needs to take her place tonight, but Blue stops her before she can get out the door.

"Casey, where are you going?" he yells, grabbing her elbow and whisking her away from the exit. "The show starts in less than twenty minutes!"

"Yeah, well, there's an entirely _different_ show going on backstage!" she blurts out, immediately bringing a hand to her mouth in horror and embarrassment.

"What are you talking about?"

She removes the hand from her mouth, trembling. "Jesse was using me as a cover. "He's not… He likes…"

Blue holds up a hand to slow her down. "Casey, take a deep breath, and explain."

She hangs her head. "I was going to ask Jesse to tie the bow to my costume because I couldn't find Delia, but I opened the curtain and he was… with Markus."

"Oh." Blue says simply, his hand falling from her elbow unceremoniously.

"So I need Chantal to take my place tonight." she continues. "I can't-"

He interrupts her troubled stream of consciousness. "The one thing I noticed about you at the lodge… You were happy while you were dancing, weren't you?"

"Yes. I was. But-"

"But now you're not."

"No."

"Why is that?"

"I… My… I'm homesick, I guess." It's only a half-lie. Derek _is_ home to her, so she doesn't have to tell him the whole messy truth. "Just please let Chantal dance tonight. I can't do this after… that. It's too much."

He breathes out, looking at her reproachfully before he gives in. "Okay. Alright. Would you like me to talk to Jesse?"

She shakes her head nervously. "No. I think I'll deal with that later, on my own."

"Okay. Go home and get some rest. Calm yourself down."

"Thank you." She leaves him and runs to the exit, hailing a cab outside, the wind picking up and mussing her hair.

She jumps inside one of the yellow vehicles, gives the driver her dad's address, and falls back against the seat, clutching her spinning head.

Just as she begins to calm down, her phone vibrates in her pocket and she pulls it out, her mind reeling as she reads who the call is from.

_Derek._

She quickly flips open her phone without a second thought, her eyes lighting up, her fingers fumbling as she places it to her ear.

"Derek?" she asks, and there's a brief silence on the other end.

"Case…" She hears his voice for the first time in three long months. There's a long pause before he seems to snap back to life. "Case, you need to come home right now. As soon as you can."

"What is it?" She's never heard him this terrified before, and her heart races in her chest as she listens to his shallow breathing on the other end. Whatever he's about to tell her _cannot _be good.

She hears him swallow and then choke out, "it's my dad. Dad… He had a heart attack."


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Oh my goodness. I can't thank you all enough for your reviews! I didn't want to leave you guys in suspense for too long, so here's chapter 12, a little earlier than expected. Please review if you have the time!**

* * *

**_Chapter 12: "Every man is afraid of something. That's how you know he's in love with you; when he is afraid of losing you." - Anonymous_**

She takes the next plane to Kingston and gets a cab to drive her to the hospital. She's greeted by Edwin and Lizzie holding her new baby brother, Simon, who, she realizes with a sinking feeling, she hasn't even seen yet.

She gives her stepbrother a hug and her sister a half hug. Edwin takes her bags from her. "Mom, Marti, and Derek are with George in his room." Lizzie explains.

"Is he okay?" she asks frantically, looking between the two of them for any indication that her stepdad is going to be alright.

Edwin nods, though his complexion is still a bit paler than usual. "He's going to be okay. It was just… really terrifying."

"I can only imagine." she mumbles. Her heart rate slows as she takes in the information about George, and her eyes fall on the peaceful baby in Lizzie's arms.

Lizzie sees her staring. "Oh, this is Simon, of course!" she says, lifting the baby's hand and pretending to wave at her. "He was born only a few days after you left. Do you want to hold him?"

She sees that he has her eyes and Derek's nose… She shakes her head. "No thanks, Liz. I think you've got him."

"Um… Do you want to go up and see George, then?" Lizzie asks.

"Yeah." She finally looks away from Simon and meets Lizzie's gaze. Her sister gives her a questioning look. "Let's go."

Edwin gets her a guest pass at the front entrance and then leads them through the hospital to George's room. She braces herself for the worst, but when she opens the door she finds George sitting up, a smile on his face. She can finally breathe normally again. Seeing him a good state was what she needed.

"Casey!" She hears a high voice and suddenly she's practically tackled as Marti throws her arms around her, squeezing her tightly. She hugs her stepsister back.

"I missed you!" Marti says, leaning back and looking up at her.

"I missed you too." She takes a finger and pokes Marti's nose, and she giggles.

Her mom is the next person to greet her, standing up from a chair by the bed and wrapping her arms around her in a warm embrace. She forgot how much she missed this. She pulls back with tears in her eyes, the silent exchange making her more emotional than she wants to be.

Finally she makes her way over to George and plants a kiss on his cheek as he hugs her to him.

"Thanks for coming back, Casey." he whispers in her ear.

"Of course." she says, withdrawing from their embrace and wiping the tears from her cheeks. "What… what happened?"

The absence of her older stepbrother doesn't go unnoticed, and when George mentions his name, her heart flutters in her chest. "We all came up here to pay Derek a surprise visit. I have been emailing him, see, and he seemed really homesick so we wanted to do something nice for him." _Homesick, Derek? _It seems strange to her, but she listens to the rest of George's story.

"So that explains why we're in Kingston and not London. But I have been really stressed with work lately, and I got a call from one of my clients about a case that he needed me for, and he started telling me all of these things that were going wrong… And before you know it, I'm having a heart attack in Derek's dorm room." George sighs. "I wish it was a more exciting story about how Derek pulled some elaborate prank on me or something, but _work_ actually did this to me, not my son. Surprising, huh?" He chuckles, and her mom puts a hand on his arm, smiling.

A silence falls between them all as she doesn't know what to say. He's okay. _He's okay, _and she's more than a little relieved.

"Derek's out in the waiting room. Only six guests are allowed in the room at once." Her mom finally speaks up, answering her unasked question.

"Oh." she says simply, trying to act apathetic, but she feels a grin growing on her face. At the same time, her heart beats in nervous anticipation of seeing Derek for the first time in three months.

They sit there for a while and talk about how they have all been and how her experience in New York as been. She pretends that she's thrilled about being there, not wanting to upset them any further with news that she can't stand it and wants to take the months of her life back that she wasted. She won't admit that she made a huge mistake.

After about an hour of catching up, she excuses herself to the 'bathroom,' which is just a cover for going to find Derek.

She finds him near the vending machine, _of course_. He turns around with a bag of chips in his hand, and their eyes lock for a moment before both of them look down. This is weird. So weird. She almost wants to cry again.

"Hey." she says softly.

"Hey." he repeats back.

A woman with a purse full of change steps between them awkwardly and deposits her money in the vending machine, taking her good old time. They stand there in silence until she leaves, but not before shooting them both a strange look.

"So I guess I now know that in order to see you I have to do something drastic like kill off your stepdad." Derek finally says.

"That's really not funny, Derek." She looks up at him, glaring. George _could have_ died. He could have died while she was in New York and she wouldn't have been able to say goodbye or tell him how much he means to her.

"I know." Derek sighs. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood… I just… I don't like seeing people like this. Especially you."

He doesn't make eye contact with her. Suddenly she's filled with an inexplicable burst of anger. "Then maybe it would be better if we went back to not seeing each other _at all_." She turns away from him and heads back to George's room, but then she feels a hand on her shoulder and she spins around. He's finally looking at her.

"Whoa, wait! You're just going to run away and not talk to me for another few months?" he asks incredulously, his hand dropping to his side.

"Just because we left on bad terms doesn't mean you had to pretend I never existed! Why didn't you IM me or call? Or _anything_?" She deflects his question with one of her own.

He hesitates before answering. "I was… busy. I've been really busy."

"Too busy to take a few minutes, dial my number, and ask how I'm doing or what I'm up to?" She puts her hands on her hips and purses her lips.

"You see, a few minutes of you talking turns into a few hours. I would've never been able to get you to shut up!"

She almost smiles when she sees a sliver of a smirk on his face, but then she realizes the insult he's hurtling at her, and she throws her hands up in the air, turning around to leave him once again."Ugh, you are infuriating!"

"Kind of hypocritical, isn't it?" She stops short as he speaks again, and she whips her head around, narrowing her eyes at him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well you didn't exactly make an effort to call me in the past three months, did you?" She crosses her arms across her chest, facing him head-on. He continues. "And don't give me some crap about how the man should always be the first to call, because the laws of feminism allow _you_ to make the first move."

"Yes, but… the code of chivalry cancels out that law!" She doesn't mention the fact that _he _was the one giving her the silent treatment, therefore the ball was in _his_ court.

"So I guess we're both at fault then!" he yells.

"I guess so!" she yells back, her chest heaving in and out. Yes, it _is_ her fault for leaving him in the first place. She can't deny that.

They both stand there fuming before Derek decides to speak up. "So what does this make us? Friends again?"

"I thought you said girls and guys can't be friends." she says, quoting him. "Things get _weird,_ remember?"

"Well I'm the exception to all rules, _remember?"_ he counters, throwing in an eyebrow raise for good measure.

"Kendra and Sally didn't seem to think so."

"So you want to go back to being enemies, then?" he asks cheekily.

"No!" she shouts in irritation. That's the _last_ thing she wants.

"Then what are we?" He throws his hands up in the air.

"Derek and Casey!" she says loudly, and she breathes in, calming herself down. "We're Derek and Casey again."

He stares at her for a moment, his angry demeanor diminishing. "Fair enough."

They stand there in silence, neither of them making any sort of movement. She's glad they've come to some sort of consensus, no matter how strange it may be, but she can't stand to be so close to him and not do or say anything.

"How's Queen's?" she asks, trying to make casual conversation.

"Crappy." he replies, but there is still a hint of a smirk on his face. "How's New York?"

"Wretched." she says, and they both laugh, the ice finally broken.

"Let's get out of here." he offers. "They don't need us anymore. Dad'll be fine." She looks at him skeptically, and he raises his eyebrows at her. "Come on, Case. We have a lot of catching up to do. I'll show you my dorm."

"Okay, fine." she says, and he links arms with her, leading her to The Prince in the parking lot. She's surprised at first, but then places her head on his shoulder, gripping his arm with her free hand. He slows his pace, and somehow she feels that he wants this moment to last as long as she does. Her heart aches in anticipation. She missed him so much it hurt, and she can hardly believe this is real, that she's really with him.

He walks her to the passenger side and she's confused, thinking he wants her to drive, but then he opens the door for her, gesturing for her to get in.

"Thanks." she says in shock, and he merely smiles at her, moving to his respective seat.

The car ride over to Queen's is silent for the most part; it only takes them a couple of minutes to get to the campus and find a parking spot. Derek, once again being uncharacteristically chivalrous, opens the car door for her when they arrive. They make their way into a building labeled 'Morris Hall,' and take the elevator to the third floor.

"Am I supposed to be here?" she questions, looking around nervously.

"It's fine. It's a co-ed dorm and guys sneak girls into their rooms all the time." He winks at her and she blushes, realizing those guys and girls are probably doing something _very _different then what Derek and she are doing.

He unlocks the door to his dorm, and she sees his roommate look up from his laptop to see what's going on. Derek ushers her into the room and his roommate smirks. "Gary, Casey. Casey, Gary." Derek makes a short introduction before plopping down on his bed.

"So, D, you finally scored one, huh?" the roommate asks, and then looks her up and down, licking his lips. "Nice."

"Don't even think about it, Gary." Derek says defensively, and Gary chuckles, holding his hands up.

"Looks like I should get going." Gary gets up and slams his laptop shut, picking it up before heading to the door. "You two have fun!" He salutes and shuts the door loudly behind him.

"Well that was embarrassing." Derek says. "Sorry about him."

Neither of them denied Gary's accusations of this being a… romantic get-together, and this makes her a little more than apprehensive. "It's fine." she says quickly.

Derek pats a space on the bed beside him. She sits back against the wall with him, kicking off her shoes as does so.

"This place is a lot cleaner than I expected." she says, looking around, thoroughly impressed.

"Yeah, well, you haven't seen under the bed." he jokes, and she gives him a weak smile. "Kidding. I've managed to keep things pretty straight. After all, I learned from the best."

"Me?" she questions, pointing to herself and looking at him in astonishment.

He nods. "I had to have some sort of reminder of you, didn't I?"

Her heart leaps. "Der-" she starts.

"So, why did you hate New York so much?" he interrupts before their conversation can go anywhere serious. _Typical._ "Not enough straight guys for your liking?"

"Derek!" she smacks his arm. _Little does he know…_ "Of course not! I just didn't expect it to be so…" her sentence trails off as she stares him in the eyes, their faces strikingly close.

"So… what?" he asks.

"Lonely." she says sadly, tilting her head down and staring at her hands in her lap. "You'd think that in a city so big and crowded, I'd be able to find _someone _to spend my days with, but I didn't have any friends. Jesse was way more concerned with his career than any sort of companionship. They all were. And the dancing was really grueling, and, I know this sounds really keener-ish, but I missed school and studying." She takes a deep breath, unsure if she should continue her sentiments or not. "I missed you." she says, finally deciding to just come out and say it. She swallows, preparing herself for the worst.

But then she feels her back leave contact with the wall as Derek wraps an arm around her shoulders and holds her close to him. Her heart is beating wildly in her chest as he says, "I missed you too, Case." She dares to wrap her arms around his waist. "The only reason I hate this place so much is cuz you're not here."

Her breath hitches in her throat and she looks up at him. "Really?"

"Yep. But don't you dare mention this again." he teases, and she rolls her eyes playfully and settles her head back against his chest, her cheek rising and falling with every breath he takes. Soon he's absentmindedly playing with her hair and she's practically sitting in his lap, and they're swapping stories about NYC and university – both the good and the bad.

She's telling him about how she found Jesse backstage with Markus, and he proclaims he's going to pee himself from laughter when the door is flung open and hits the wall. They both jump out of their skin, but don't let go of each other, neither of them willing.

Gary stumbles into the room, clearly inebriated. He squints at the two of them, sitting in bed with their arms around each other. "Oh my god, D. You didn't even get past the cuddling stage? I've been away for hours! How long does it take you to get to second base?"

"Go away, Gary." Derek shouts as his roommate collapses on the other bed. "You're drunk."

"Or is this some post-shag snuggling?" Gary sits up, grinning widely and looking between the two of them.

"Come on, Case. Let's go somewhere else."

"Actually, I really should get going." she says, checking her phone and seeing how late it is. She makes to get off his bed-

"No!" Derek yells, and she jumps, looking at him in alarm. He breathes out. "Stay, Casey. Please." There's so much desperation in his voice that she can barely stand it, her stomach flip-flopping.

"What about Mom and the rest of our siblings? They'll be waiting for me to come back to their hotel." she says, not wanting to argue with him after he asks her to spend the night with him, but trying to think rationally about this whole situation. She really doesn't want their parents to get suspicious…

Derek squints his eyes shut, and she's been around him long enough to tell he's trying to think of a lie. "Tell them… tell them that you already rented one before you found out where they were staying."

"Okay." she says slowly. "I can do that." She flips open her phone and sends Lizzie a text message with Derek's lie.

He smiles at her, his eyes never once leaving her face. Her cheeks redden at his intense gaze. "Good. I can sleep on the floor and you can have my bed-"

"Wait." she says, clutching at his arm. "Your bed is big enough for two people." As soon as she says it, her face turns an even more furious shade of red.

He looks at her with wide eyes and then shakes his head, giving her a weak smile. "Um…"

"Well, I just thought-" she starts to defend herself, but he holds up a hand to stop her.

"It's fine, Case. We can share. Here." He opens his dresser drawer and throws a pair of his boxers and one of his t-shirts at her. "You can wear these for PJs. Bathroom is down the hall."

She quickly gathers up his clothes, her cheeks warm with heat, and she changes in one of the bathroom stalls, splashing her face with water from the sink and taking deep, calming breaths. Her. And Derek. Sharing a bed. She can't even fathom what is happening. She hasn't even seen him in the past three months... and suddenly they're going to be spending the night together? Sure, they spent the night together at her grandmother's lodge, but this is different. Her head is so dizzy…

She realizes he must not want to let her go after she left him for New York. She certainly doesn't want to leave him either, but their whole situation is complicated, and she's afraid she's furthering their problems by agreeing to stay with him. Still, she can't help but follow her heart instead of her brain. She loves him too much to let this opportunity go.

She makes her way back to his room and puts her folded clothes on top of his dresser. Gary is totally passed out on his bed. Derek is already lying in bed, smashed against the wall as if he needs to give her all the room in the world. She slides in next to him, their bodies inevitably touching, seeing how the bed is only twin sized. She makes a move to turn over and almost falls off.

He grips her arms and prevents her from sliding off the bed. "I can sleep on the floor, Case. It's no problem, really." He tries to sit up but she pushes him back down, firmly.

"No, Derek. I don't want to inconvenience you." she says, and then scoots into him, her heart beating rapidly against her chest. "Now, you turn and face me." she whispers, and she can hear his shallow breathing as he flips around so that they're facing each other. His arms are stiff at his sides, and she reaches out and grabs one of them, placing it around her waist. She encircles him in her arms and forces her legs in between his, gently touching her forehead to his.

"Better?" she asks so quietly that she's afraid he can't even hear her. He nods, his eyes still wide, his breathing still uneven. She's never wanted to kiss him more than right now, their faces so close together that it's unnerving. Instead she closes her eyes and whispers "goodnight, Der." This is as good as it's going to get right now. This is the closest they've ever been. She can feel his heartbeat against her own chest.

"Goodnight, Case." she hears him finally respond. His voice sends shivers up and down her spine and she scoots even closer into him, their bodies molding together perfectly.

They fall asleep in an intimate embrace, as if it is the most natural thing in the world.

* * *

**Playlist D**

**Song **Coming Home **Artist **Cinderella **Plays **9

I took a walk down a road  
It's the road I was meant to stay  
I see the fire in your eyes  
But a man's got to make his way  
So are you tough enough for my love  
Just close your eyes to the heaven above  
I'm coming home  
I'm coming home

I took a ride in a world  
I'll be spinnin' for the rest of my life  
I feel your heart beatin' baby  
Ooo sometimes it cuts like a knife  
So are you tough enough for my love  
Just close your eyes to the heaven above  
I'm coming home  
I'm coming home

I'm coming home  
Where your love tonight can shine on me  
I'm coming home  
Where your lovin' arms can set me free

* * *

She wakes up as her hair is brushed gently away from her face and Derek whispers, "morning, Case." She blinks a few times and looks at him, smiling and hardly believing that she isn't in a dream.

"Morning." she replies sleepily, as Derek's fingers continue to caress her cheek. "You're awake before me… when does that ever happen?" she giggles.

"I have class." he says, his breath warm upon her face.

"Oh." The mood falters quickly, and she suddenly feels suffocated and scared. He can't leave her. Not now. No. No! She needs him to stay with her, at least for the rest of the day. She needs to know that it's going to be different now, that they will be able to talk and still see each other and speak and visit and…

"I… I don't have to go." Derek says, as if he's reading her mind, or maybe her worried eyes. "I mean, I'm probably failing anyway. There's no point."

"Derek!" she scolds softly, but wraps her fingers around his arm. "I guess one day of skipping won't hurt."

"You guys are the biggest saps I have ever met in my life!" Derek and she jump when they hear a voice coming from the other side of the room. Gary is standing up, putting on the same shirt he wore the day before.

"Go away, Gary!" Both Derek and she yell at the same time, and Gary smirks, rolling his eyes and hurrying out of the room.

They turn back towards each other, and she feels herself blushing even more. He's looking at her like she's the only thing in the world that matters, and her chest constricts, wondering how this is going to end up. If their parents ever knew they spent the night together…

Well, first of all, they would be thoroughly confused and weirded out… And then they would flip. Oh, this was not a good idea. But she feels closer to him than ever before, not just in the physical sense, but emotionally as well.

She realizes… for once she wants to be reckless. She doesn't want to play by the rules. She wants to be with him, no matter what. Her head spins, trying to take in this new revelation. Now all that's left is for him to-

"So, Case, what do you want to do today?" he asks, his hand now in her hair, twirling it around his fingers. "We can-"

"Derek, I have to tell you something." she says, her eyes wide, her heart racing.

"Okay…" he looks at her, confused and a little anxious.

She takes a deep breath. "I don't want to go back to New York."

He laughs. "Well, I know th-"

"No, I mean. I'm _not_ going back to New York." she says, determined, forcing herself to keep her eyes on him rather than look down. "I want to stay here, go to Queens. With you." She nearly whispers the last sentence, but his face is lighting up as soon as she says she wants to stay.

"Really?" he asks, and when she nods, she's never seen a smile so genuine on his face. He sits up, pulling her up with him and squeezing her to his chest. She can't help but laugh, surprised at his behaviour, but happier than she's been in a long time - maybe the happiest she's ever been.

He takes her face in his hands, and for a fleeting moment she thinks he might kiss her, but then he plants his lips on her forehead, drawing back. "I'm going to get dressed, and then we can go out and celebrate, kay?" She smiles at him as he climbs over her, grabs some clothes from his dresser, and practically skips to the bathroom.

As soon as he leaves, she breathes out. He never fails to miss her lips.

She slowly gets up out of his bed, placing her hands on her clothes from yesterday. She stops short when she stubs her toe on a hockey stick poking out from under his bed. She winces, and then stoops down, pushing the hockey stick back under his bed, cautiously lifting up the bed skirts.

"Ugh… he wasn't lying about under his bed." she mumbles, looking at scattered pizza boxes, old homework assignments, and random hockey gear. She makes to get up again, but then something catches her eye. Envelopes. There is a huge pile of them…

She curiously picks one up, turning it over in her hands. Her breath hitches in her throat as she sees who it is addressed to.

Casey McDonald

302 West 45th Street

New York, NY 10036-3802


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: I love you guys so much! Thank you for reading and reviewing! I can only apologize for prolonging the torturous wait of having Derek and Casey actually get together, but I feel that every chapter and every step along the way is vital to their relationship in the end. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please review if you have the time! I always love hearing what you're thinking!**

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_**Chapter 13: "For one human being to love another: that is perhaps the most difficult of our tasks; the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation."**__** - **__**Rainer Maria Rilke**_

_She's staying!_ He showers and changes faster than he ever has in his life. It takes him less than 5 minutes, and he runs back to his room, back to Casey, his hair still dripping wet. He doesn't even care.

"So, where do you want to-" His sentence stops short when he sees her standing there, still in his clothes, holding the letters he wrote her in her hands.

"Der… what are these?" she says, looking at him quizzically.

His breath hitches in his throat and he approaches her slowly. "Nothing, that's nothing. Just a few letters."

"But they have my name all over them... They're addressed to me." She holds them like a deck of cards and fans through them with her hands, checking to see if they're all really for her. _Uh, yeah, they are._

He lunges at her in a desperate attempt to get them out of her hands. "Give it-"

She doges him easily, swiveling out of his way, obviously anticipating his attack. "Come on, just let me read one!" she urges.

"NO! Seriously, Casey, give me those."

She holds them out of his reach as he tries to grab them from her again. "I have a right to read them. They're for me!"

He lets his hands fall to his sides, defeated. "Damn it, Casey, I never intended for you to see them!"

"You mean you wrote me _all _these letters and never planned on sending me a single one?" She raises an eyebrow at him, not taking him seriously. She's still holding the letters out of his way just in case he decides to strike again. "There have to be at least 50 letters here, Derek!"

"93." he says without thinking.

She stares at him as his stomach flip-flops. "…What?"

He sighs. No point in hiding the truth anymore now that she's seen them."93 letters. 93 goddamn letters that I wanted to send to you but could never bring myself too."

"That means you-"

"Yeah, every single day you were in New York, I wrote you a stupid effing note that I knew you would never see.

She blinks a few times before sitting down on his bed. "Why?"

He sits beside her and pries the letters from her hands. She finally lets him. He isn't sure whether she's asking why he didn't send them or why he wrote them in the first place. His best bet is to just answer both. "I didn't send them because they have some… pretty hurtful things in there that I didn't want you to read." His voice speeds up as he defends himself. "I was just really mad at you for leaving, and some things were written in the heat of the moment, and I was just getting out my f-feelings."

He sighs before continuing. "I mean, you were always writing poems and stuff to express yourself, so these letters were kind of my outlet for all the rage and hurt I was feeling."

In his peripheral vision he watches her eyes linger on his lips and then her own eyes begin to fill with tears. _Oh shit. _He didn't mean to make her cry!

"Case, I'm sorry! I don't-"

"_You_ have nothing to be sorry for." she says, cutting him off and looking away from him. "I'm sorry for leaving you. I'm sorry for being so horrible. Going to New York was the biggest mistake of my life. If I could take it all back, I would. I just want us to be okay again."

"Hey, hey!" he says gently, lifting her chin so that she meets his gaze. "We _are_ okay. Forgive and forget, right? Besides, I should have done something to stop you, so I'm partially to blame." He gives her a half hug, and she wipes her tears away with the back of her hand.

"So… about lunch." He changes the subject. "I was thinking Le Chien Noir. It's this French bistro that's really close, and I think you would like it. I'm trying to get a job there. It reminds me a lot of Smelly Nelly's, only more sophisticated. I want-"

He rambles on nervously before she puts a finger to his lips, silencing him. "Sounds great, Der." she says, offering him a smile and then taking his hand. "Um…" She looks up at him eagerly.

"What is it?"

"Are you ever going to let me read any of the letters?" she asks timidly, and he feels his face grow red.

"Uh, maybe someday." he says, looking down at the letters in his hand that she's not holding. _If he doesn't burn them all as soon as she leaves._ "Now, go. Change. I'm hungry." She breathes out and stands up, and he gives her a light smack on the butt before she walks out of the room.

"Der-ek!" she squeals, looking back at him with a glimmer of amusement in her eye, despite the fact that she's trying to act appalled with him.

He just smirks at her and she shakes her head at him, attempting to hide her smile before hurrying off to the bathroom to change.

* * *

They're sitting in Le Chien Noir both eating sandwiches; (he insisted that she get one instead of a salad.) He's feeding her (more like shoving into her face) a bite of his sandwich when Nora and the rest of the McDonald-Venturi clan sans George walks into the bistro.

She spits out the bit of sandwich that he successfully managed to wedge in her mouth, and he drops his hand quickly to his side when he sees his family.

Nora catches sight of them and raises her eyebrows before making her way over to their table with Simon in her arms. Casey wipes her mouth, and he puts on a fake smile. "Oh, hey, Mom! What are you doing here?"

"I think the better question would be – what are _you _doing here with _Derek_?" Nora asks, looking thoroughly confused.

"Just… two stepsiblings catching up over lunch!" he says hastily as Casey opens her mouth to explain. "Nothing out of the norm here!" He punches her in the arm and she gives a soft "ow!" before glaring at him and punching him right back – _way_ harder than he did to her. This seems to convince Nora, and she shrugs before instructing Lizzie to go order for them. She holds out Simon for Casey to take.

"Well, since you're here, you might as well look after this little guy for me!" Casey reluctantly takes the baby from her mom's arms, forcing a (rather pitiful) smile on her face. Nora wipes her brow, looking relieved. "Whew! It can really get exhausting carrying him around! Plus, you haven't seen him much at all, so you should get to spend time with your little brother."

"Yeah, okay, Mom." Casey says, never looking at Simon. "You'd better go make sure Marti isn't ordering dessert instead of lunch." She nods towards the youngest Venturi girl eyeing up the strawberry cake in the glass display.

"Right! Well you two… enjoy the rest of your lunch." she says, and he thinks they're almost off the hook until Nora doubles back, giving her daughter an odd look. "Casey… Weren't you wearing those clothes yesterday?"

"Uh…" Casey glances at him briefly in worriment. "Well, my bags and clothes are with you, remember? I forgot to take them with me when Derek dropped me off at my hotel, and it was too late by the time I realized where they were, and I didn't feel like bothering you to bring them to me." she spits out, giving her mom an unconvincing smile. _Oh great._

"And you… slept in those clothes too?" Nora looks between the two of them, trying to figure them out.

"The hotel actually had bathrobes, so I used one of them to sleep in." Casey says quickly, and then looks back at Marti who is now animatedly talking to the cashier while gesturing to the cake. "Mom, Marti!"

"Shoot!" Nora runs off to tend to her other children.

"Well then…" he says, staring wide-eyed at his stepmom hurrying away. He turns his attention to the baby sitting on Casey's lap. "Wooks wike me and Casey awwe pwaying house now, huh, Simon?" He lets Simon cling to his finger as he speaks to his younger brother in baby talk.

"Der-ek…" Casey scolds softly. "Don't say that."

"Say what?"

"That we're playing 'mommy and daddy.'"

His heart leaps in his chest at the thought... "Why not? We assumed those roles all the time back home."

Casey rubs her temple as if she has a headache. "Because… never mind."

"Case, tell me."

"Look at him! He looks _just_ like us!" she practically yells. "He looks like… our baby. Doesn't that freak you out a little?"

"I mean… maybe. Sort of. Not really. Why would it?" What is she saying? That she doesn't _want _to have babies with him? That Simon's existence keeps them from being boyfriend and girlfriend? Husband and wife?

_Whoa. _He's getting way ahead of himself.

"He's _our_ brother. Both of ours." she speaks up. "He shares our blood."

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"It just makes me uncomfortable."

_Shit. _He has to fix this – let her know that it shouldn't matter that they share a half sibling. "We're still not related. I still don't consider you my sister."

"I know." She looks into his eyes, sadly, and then mumbles, "It's just one more thing…"

_One more thing? _He doesn't ask out loud. He knows she didn't intend for him to hear that last bit. One more thing keeping them apart? One more reason they will never get together?

He sighs and watches Casey bounce Simon on her knee, the mood permanently ruined.

* * *

Simon is just one more thing that will make their impending romantic relationship harder, she thinks. But she knew this was going to be no picnic. They'll just have to work around her gran and the fact that they share a sibling, and the idea that people might be confused and blatantly ignorant about their situation. She can do it. She can do it if he's by her side. She knows now that she's ready to choose him over anything or anyone.

The only problem is… She knows he _likes_ her, but how much? Is he willing to do the same – to give up everything for her?

She can't help but think about how he didn't chase after her when she went to New York. Maybe he gave up, or maybe he felt that he didn't have the right to go after her, but, nevertheless, doubts still creep in the back of her mind.

She tells George and her mom about her decision to reenroll at Queen's. They seem confused and a little unsure at first. She's never one to act on impulse, but lately her decisions have seemed irrational to them. She explains that the professional world of dancing is not for her, and they accept her decision. After all, she _is _an adult now, and she's allowed to make this choice. Her mom seems a little more than relieved to have her back close home, and the rest of the family is thrilled to have her back in the same country as them.

The hardest part is calling Blue and letting him know that she's not coming back to New York. He immediately assumes it's all because of Jesse, but she reassures him that was only a small contributing factor. She thanks him for the opportunity he gave her, but she knows now that dancing is only a hobby for her, and she wasn't enjoying something she used to love when she was in New York. She calls Chantal and gives her congratulations for succeeding her. She texts Jesse a simple 'I saw you with Markus. We're through.' and then promptly erases him from her phone.

She and Derek continue to hang out before his winter break begins. She rents a long-term hotel room in Kingston in the mean time, using the excuse of wanting to get everything settled at Queen's to her mom and George. (When in reality the only thing she's getting 'settled' is Derek.) They spend most of their days shut up in his room or in Le Chien Noir doing a lot of drilling and studying before his exams, and she helps him pass each and every one of them. She can't help but feel she's wasting a bit of her salary from dancing when she doesn't even spend _half _of her nights at the hotel suite, but… sneaking into Derek's dorm and sleeping in his bed with him is a lot more comforting.

Winter break quickly arrives, however, and they head back home to London for a week and a half. Her mom seems a little suspicious at their mostly amicable behaviour, so she instigates a few food and remote fights that throw them into a torrent of nostalgia. Only, if she told her fourteen-year-old self that she would be slipping into Derek's room every night during winter break, she probably would have laughed out loud and not believed a single word.

At the beginning of the second semester (her first semester), she gets put in one of the all-girls dorms because they are the least desirable residencies, and she sort of has the last pick. She's not going to complain, though, because the process of reapplying and being accepted wasn't too difficult. _Plus_, she gets to keep her scholarship, and she's never been more thankful for that.

Her roommate is Cora – an overly perky, fun-loving girl with pink streaks in her blonde hair. They get along well enough, though she almost wishes for a cleaner roommate. Honestly, she thinks Cora can be worse than _Derek_ sometimes. But after hearing some of the horror stories about other roommates and seeing Derek interact with Gary on a day-to-day basis, she thinks she could have done a lot worse.

* * *

A few days into the second semester, she decides to surprise Derek by showing up to one of his hockey practices. She figures it's about time she met all of his teammates, and she wants to show her support, considering it's his first practice since winter break ended.

She enters the practice centre and sees a single skater out on the ice, practicing his shooting. "Hello?" she says timidly. The boy doesn't even acknowledge her existence.

"Hey!" she yells. The boy looks up from the puck and nearly loses his balance at the shock of her shouting at him. He removes his helmet to get a good look at her, and as soon as he gives her a thorough inspection, he puts on what she can only assume is supposed to be his 'charming' smile.

He skates over to her speedily, smoothly braking right at the rink's edge. "And what I might be able to do for _you,_ miss?" he asks, cocking an eyebrow.

She lets out a laugh. "I'm looking for Derek Venturi. Is he in the locker room?"

The boy's face falls immediately at the mention of Derek's name. "Who wants to know?"

"Excuse me?"

"What's your name?" he questions, his pleasant attitude dropped ever since he found out she was here to see Derek instead of him.

"What's yours?" she shoots right back, furrowing her eyebrows. _Who does this kid think he is?_

"Richard." he says slowly, looking unimpressed. She decides he's an asshole. "Now tell me yours."

"Casey." She places her hands on her hips. "Honestly, I came here to find Derek, not get in a fight with a pretentious d-"

"Wait, did you say Casey?" Richard interrupts her, suddenly looking interested in her presence once again. _Wow, moody much?_

"Yes, I said Casey!" she says, irritated. "Now can you please just tell me where-"

"Casey… what?" He cuts into her sentence once again.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know I had to go through security in order to see one of the Gaels' hockey players!" Her patience is running thin.

"Oh, come on, just tell me!" he practically begs.

She groans, rolling her eyes. "McDonald."

"Oh my god! You exist! Venturi's girl _actually_ exists!" he shouts, his eyes widening. He turns his head towards the locker room. "Guys, come here! Seriously, you have to see this."

She raises her eyebrows, unable to stop herself from smiling in amusement despite her frustration. _Venturi's girl?_

The rest of the hockey team comes clambering awkwardly out of the locker room in their skates. There are a few cat calls and 'damn's as their eyes fall on her. Her smile instantly fades and she crosses her arms over her chest.

"Gentlemen," Richard spreads out his arms in grandeur, gesturing to her. "I present to you – Casey McDonald."

There are a few audible gasps and 'no way's. One of the guys pushes through the throng of players to look at her. "Dude, I can't believe you're real." he says. His voice suddenly gets higher and he seems irked. "You've kind of put a damper on a lot of our good times, you know that?" He gives her an once-over before mumbling, "though I can see why now."

She blushes, but keeps her head held high when she says, "what are you talking about?"

"Derek never wanted to do anything…" he states, narrowing his eyes at her. "And _you_ were always his excuse."

Richard speaks up, using a low, masculine voice. "Hey, Derek, you want a drink?" He switches his voice to be more girly. "Oh, no thanks. Casey wouldn't want me to get drunk." He goes back to the manly voice. "Hey, Derek, want to go to a party?" Girly. "No, man. I should probably be studying. Casey would be studying." Manly. "Hey, Derek, we got you a date for this weekend. Check her out!" Girly. "Um… You should probably cancel that. I'm too _in love _with Casey to even look at another girl!"

The rest of the team chuckles at Richard's antics. Her heart pounds in her chest.

"Of course, he didn't actually _say_ that, but it's so obvious." Richard says when the laughter has died down. "Anyway, he's not here. Called out sick. He never misses practice, so it's a bit weird. _And_ he didn't even tell his precious Casey, so something must be going on." Richard makes a contemplative face before shrugging. "Ah well, gotta go hit the ice. Come on, men!"

The rest of the team follows Richard out onto the rink except for the boy who stepped forward before. He looks at her in seriousness. "Um, Casey… Can we go somewhere to talk?"

She sighs, wanting to go find Derek and ask him what's going on, but he's the only hockey player who has shown her any respect, so she at least owes him a chat. "Yeah, sure." She nods, and he sits down on one of the benches, yanks off his skates, and tells her to follow him.

He leads her to the locker room where clothes are strewn about and the stench of sweat and cologne lingers in the air. She wrinkles her nose and begins to talk, not wanting to prolong this experience any more than she has to. "So, what did you say your name was?" she asks.

"I didn't, but it's Jake." He reaches his hand out to her and she shakes it with a small smile.

They stand there for a few moments in uncomfortable silence when he drops her hand. "Um, well-"

He interrupts her before she can ask him what they're there for. "Listen, Casey. I've only known Derek for a few months, but I already consider him to be one of my best friends." So she's talking to one of Derek's best friends? She doesn't recall him mentioning a 'Jake' before, but she listens as he continues talking.

"He was really screwed up with you not around. He talked about you all of the time. Sometimes he would get _physically_ sick when he thought about you." Her stomach churns as she thinks about being a reason for Derek to get sick. She cried over him every night, and she wouldn't wish that feeling on her worst enemy, let alone Derek. Jake keeps going. "I've never seen a guy so hung up on a girl like was about you. If you ever run off again… damn. I don't even know. He'll be defeated. Hell, he almost was until me and the rest of the team decided to intervene and make him wise up and get a life. You broke his heart, and it's going to take more than an apology and a promise to stay to mend what you did to him."

"Jake… I'm not going to leave him again, I swear." she says firmly, crossing her arms. She can't get that horrible feeling of hurting Derek out of her stomach. Her eyes begin to water and she quickly blinks back her tears. "I'm sure my absence was every bit as painful as his was to me, and I would never want to put anyone through that, especially him-"

"You don't get it. You didn't see him." Jake interrupts her again, shaking his head. "He loves you, and the hurt was experiencing was hard for _me_ to watch. He thought it was over between you two. He thought-"

"I'm sure he doesn't _love_ me." she interjects, her heart beating wildly in her chest. _There's no way._

"Don't be stupid." Jake rolls his eyes. Her jaw drops, feeling highly insulted by this kid she only met a few minutes ago telling her not to be _stupid._ _He doesn't even know…_ He doesn't even know the half of it! "If I've ever seen anyone in love, it's him. He would do anything for you."

She feels the rage building up inside of her, and she blurts out, "then explain to me why he didn't call or message me or even _try_ to fight to get me back!"

Jake narrows his eyes at her and yells right back, "explain to _me _why you left!"

"He's my stepbrother, Jake! Things are a lot more complicated than you think!"

Jake stares, digesting this new tidbit of information that he _obviously_ had not heard before. "Oh."

"Yeah, that's right. Oh." She plops down on one of the benches, incredibly frustrated. "We share a sibling, our parents are married, my grandma found us spending the night together in our bathing suits and she _flipped!" _Her voice grows softer as she admits, "And it scared me. God, it scared me so much to think of what other people might think if my own grandma was judging me so harshly. But I'm back now, and I'm staying with him. I'm never leaving him again, even if that means I have to sit in the crowd on his wedding day and watch him get married to a different girl. Even if that means I'll be unhappy; as long as he's happy, I don't care." Her voice escalates to yelling again, pointing her finger at Jake accusingly. "So don't for a second think that you know anything about me! I'm not a prude that prevents Derek from doing things, and I'm not a cold-hearted bitch who strings him along. I'm Derek Venturi's best friend, and I'm in love with him."

There is a bout of silence when all they can hear is the sound of her breathing heavily before Jake says, "…sorry."

She shakes her head, calming herself down. "It's okay. I'm sorry for yelling at you. Everything I just said… it needed to come out, and you actually helped me. A lot."

"I don't think it's wrong, you know." Jake says boldly, sitting on the bench next to her. "You two aren't related, and you both obviously care about each other a lot. I know the situation must be really, _really _difficult, and I'll never be able to fully understand, but if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. Like I said, Derek is one of my best friends. The least I can do is be here when his girl wants to vent."

"You know, you're alright, Jake." She gives him a small smile. "You're the only one who knows everything, so I would appreciate you not telling anybody else about… this."

"Of course." he says, patting her back gently. "I just really hope things work out between you two." He stands up. "They will. I'm sure they will." he says with more confidence. "Well, I have to get back to practice before the guys get too worried."

"Thanks." she says softly. He grabs his skates once more, heading out of the locker room door before shooting her one last look.

As soon as he leaves, she lets out an enormous breath, grateful for the distracting ringing of her phone at that very moment. She grabs it from her back pocket, flipping it open hurriedly when she sees who is calling. "Derek, what is it? I came to your hockey practice to watch and-"

"Case, can you just come to my dorm, please?" he cuts in urgently. "I- I'm kind of in trouble. And I don't want the guys to know."

"In trouble how?" she asks, her voice cracking. She's suddenly very worried. "Oh my gosh, Der. What happened?"

"Don't freak, okay? Not right now. You can freak when you see me if you want. Just… keep your cool." She breathes in. Keeping cool was never one of her strong suits. "Can you come over here?"

"Yeah, yeah. Sure. I'll be right there." She's already rushing to the door, her heart racing. Even after her fight with Jake, she's feeling more emotional than she has all day at the sound of Derek's insistent voice. "You better not have done anything stupid!" she adds, knowing him all too well.

"Case-"

"Okay, I'm sorry! I'm coming right now."

She shuts her phone, practically sprinting to Derek's dorm, ignoring the on-looking students who must think she's insane. (Or late for class.)

The security guard in Morris Hall already knows who she is from her frequent trips to Derek's room, and she gives him a hasty wave. "Can't talk, Steve! I have to see-"

"Derek, I know." the guard says, nodding his head meaningfully. "You best hurry. He's not looking very good."

This only makes her run faster, not even bothering to take the elevator because she knows the stairs will be faster. She dashes to his room on the third floor.

"Derek, it's me!" she yells, banging on the door, her heart beating in anticipation.

The door swings open and she sees a very weary-looking Derek sporting a plastic sandwich bag full of ice cubes on the left side of his face. She gasps as he lowers the bag and reveals his purple, swollen-shut eye. Her own eyes immediately begin to fill with tears.

"Oh, Derek." She lifts hesitant fingers to his face and gently runs her fingers under his eye. He winces, drawing back in pain. "What happened to you?" she says, hurrying into his room and sitting on his bed. He sits next to her, placing the ice back over his eye.

"I got into a fight, and I got punched." He states the obvious.

"I can see that." A few tears fall down her cheeks, and she hastily brushes them away. She _hates_ seeing him hurt. "I mean, who did you get into a fight with? _Why _did you get into a fight?"

He groans and switches the hand gripping the bag, and she pries it from his fingers. "Here. Let me." she says, holding the bag tenderly to his eye for him.

"Thanks, Case." he says, placing his hands in his lap, his eyes lingering on hers. A blush rises in her cheeks, and he finally speaks. "You're going to get so mad…"

"Just tell me what's going on." she says, rolling her eyes. "I've been mad at you before-"

"Not me." he says seriously, his hand coming to rest on her knee, only increasing the closeness between them. "You're not going to be mad at _me."_

"Then… who?" She lets one of her hands fall on top of his. She squeezes it reassuringly, encouraging him. "Come on. Spit it out!"

He sighs, turning his hand over in hers so that their palms are facing each other. He intertwines his fingers with hers.

"Truman came here to see you."


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Once again, I apologize for the April Fools joke! Hopefully this chapter will make up for it. I **_**was**_** glad for all of your concern, though! It makes me glad that people are still invested in this. (And for those who don't know me personally, I would never, **_**ever **_**stop shipping Dasey.) ;) **

**I'm sorry this took me so long to post. My great grandfather passed away yesterday and it kind of deterred me from finishing up/editing this chapter. He was in a lot of pain, so at least I know he's in a better place now.**

**Please enjoy the next chapter and review if you have the time! I love you guys!**

* * *

**_Chapter 14: "When you love someone, you say their name different. Like it's safe inside your mouth." - _****Jodi Picoult**  


She automatically drops his hand and the bag full of ice and stands up, looking absolutely _furious. _He stares up at her in nervousness. _Yikes._

"Truman? Truman French? My ex-boyfriend? The kid I made _very_ _clear_ that I never wanted to see again?" she questions, though he knows they're all rhetorical. "What was he doing here? How did he find me?"

"Well, you know how I met up with Sam over winter break, right?" he speaks up, and she nods her head, her cheeks glowing red in rage. "I told him that you were leaving New York and transferring to Queen's because, you know, he's my best friend."

"Right." she says briskly, pacing the room and making him even more anxious.

"Um, well, Sam is sort of seeing Emily now." he chokes out.

"Sam and Emily? _My _Emily?" she stops moving and looks at him, eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes, Emily Davis." he says for clarification.

"Doesn't that infringe upon the male code?" She begins to pace again, and he swears she's going to wear a hole in the floor with the way she's dragging her feet around.

"Uh…" he shrugs, not knowing how to answer that, considering he has been majorly crushing on her since before Sam and her went out, and he's pretty sure he's violated every male code known to mankind and beyond just by _looking _at Casey. He clears his throat and continues. "Sam might have told Emily about you coming home, and she… Well, she told Truman."

"_Emily _told him?" He's never seen her so livid in his life, and that's saying something, considering the abundance of fights they've gotten into. "Oh, the nerve! It's not even like they were remotely_ close_ to being friends! She only did this because she thought I sabotaged her relationship with you, when, in reality, you guys were just destined for failure anyway! But seriously, revenge isn't necessary! I can't even belie-"

"Casey, slow down!" he yells, holding up his hands in protest. "Whatever motive she might have had for telling him, I'm sure it wasn't…" His sentence trails off as he thinks about his previous encounter with Truscum and the reason why he came… A light bulb goes off in his head. "Oh my god, she egged him on! She _was _the one who convinced him to come here to see you!" And suddenly he's almost as enraged as Casey. "Not because she was mad at _you, _but because she was mad at me! She knew that I wouldn't be happy to see him…

He lets out a short, almost manic laugh. "I hope he goes crawling back to her so she can see the number I did on him. I practically kicked his ass to Timbuktu! You think my eye is bad, just-" He stops ranting when Casey flops down on the bed beside him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asks, poking her arm.

"I just can't believe someone I called my best friend would do this to me… to you."

"Don't worry about it. It's my fault. All my fault." He sighs. "I shouldn't have gone out with her in the first place. That was a big mistake. And… I'm sorry."

She sits up abruptly, her hair falling over her shoulders, her cheeks still flushed. He hates that she has to look so beautiful while she's in his bed and he can't do anything about it.

"It's okay." She blinks. "Sorry I went out with Truman… again."

She lies back down when he doesn't say anything, her hands on her stomach. He watches them rise and fall with every breath she takes. _So, now that they've unearthed their rocky past…_

"Why did you fight him, anyway?" She breaks the silence.

"I bumped into him on my way to hockey practice, and, let me tell you, I wasn't exactly pleased to see him to begin with, you know." He lies down beside her, one hand behind his head, the other still nursing his swollen eye. "But then he was all 'Oh, just the man I was looking for' in his snidely, rattish way." Casey chortles at this comment and he smirks.

He goes on. "And of course I said 'what the hell are you doing here?' because it was a legitimate question. So then he says 'I'm looking for your sister, Casey. I wanted some closure, and I was actually hoping for a second chance with her.' At this point I already wanted to punch his face in, but instead I responded in a calm and rational matter - '1) She's my _step_sister, and 2) Don't you mean third chance?'

"And then the idiot said – 'Whatever. Can't you just tell me where she is?' And I replied – 'Sorry, but I'm pretty sure she never wanted to see your face again, so I would suggest taking the next cab back to London and your crappy job as a burger flipper at McDonald's.'"

"Der-ek!" she yells, giggling and slapping him on the arm, her mouth agape.

"What? It's probably true! Don't maim me even more! I already have a black eye, you know. I don't need a matching arm."

"Sorry." She mimes zipping her lips and he rolls his eyes at her geeky (yet adorable) antics.

"Anyway, on with my story. Where was I? Oh, yeah. McDonald's. So this is where I started to get really mad because Trollman cracked some innuendo using your last name and something about flipping you over… I can't remember; I was just really pissed. So I said, 'Yeah, right. I know for a fact that you never even got past first base with her, so I would wise up, stop spreading rumours, and shut your mouth now if I were you.' And he said 'If you would just point me in the general direction of your sister, we wouldn't have to go through this. Even if she didn't put out before, you know they say college can change a girl.'"

His fist balls up as he thinks about the incident, his mind clouding over with anger once again. She puts her hand on his fist and he relaxes under her touch a bit, finishing his story. "So then I said 'Don't ever talk about Casey that way. She deserves respect you slimy, pathetic, rat-faced douchebag.' And then he punched me in the face, and then I slugged him. The end."

The next few words that fall from Casey's lips surprise the hell out of him. "He deserved it."

He looks at her in awe, and she explains herself. "Normally I don't condone violence, but I feel that what you did was an act of chivalry rather than one of barbaric nature. Truman and I… didn't exactly break up on the best terms, and you would _really_ think he was deserving of a smack-down if you knew about the last conversation we had."

"What happened?" She shoots him a skeptical look and he breathes out. "Look, Case, we're past the point of 'you can tell me anything.' Just say it. Why did you two break up, anyway?"

"I told him I didn't want to have sex with him." she spits out, blushing in embarrassment. "And then he went on and on, trying to convince me it was no big deal, and that we could wait until an appropriate time, and I told him… No – that I _never_ wanted to have sex with him."

He tries really hard to hold back the laugh that is fighting to escape from his lips. "You took my advice." He can't help but smile.

"It's been known to happen." She crosses her arms, not looking at him.

"Yeah, once in a blue moon."

"Well, you were actually right for once. Anyway, after I told Truman that, he said one last 'shebang' wouldn't hurt. So, yes, he deserved the ass-whopping that you bestowed upon him."

He looks at her in fake shock. "Casey McDonald, you cuss bucket!"

"Shut up!" She rolls her eyes and shoves him off of the bed.

"Hey, what did I say about injuring me further?" He says, getting up and feigning a threatening stance.

"Guess I don't know my own strength!" She sits up, shrugging, and she shrieks as he tackles her back down.

They engage in a full-on wrestling match until Gary (aka the mood-ruiner of the century) decides to walk in the room and interrupt them.

Casey leaves with the promise of chatting with him that night and a hug (something he's grown accustomed to and actually _looks forward to_ now.) He turns around when she walks out his door and he's got a huge, unmanageable smile on his face.

"Dude, you are _so _whipped!" Gary says, laughing. "And you aren't even getting any! That's the sad part!"

"Like you _are!"_ He throws a pillow at Gary's head and he gets a mouthful of cotton. This shuts him up for the remainder of the night.

* * *

_AustenLvr is signed on._

_KingofBabes91 is signed on._

_AustenLvr: _What's up, Der?

_KingofBabes91: _I have some problems I need to work out.

_AustenLvr: _Okay, like what?

_KingofBabes91: _I think I'm losing my touch.

_AustenLvr: _Haha, what are you talking about?

_KingofBabes91: _I haven't pranked anyone in sooooo long.

_AustenLvr: _You mean you haven't pranked **me** in so long.

_KingofBabes91: _UGHHH, and here lies problem number two. I miss you and you just left only a few hours ago. Gross.

_AustenLvr: _You'd better watch out. You're becoming a big softie. ;)

_KingofBabes91: _Don't say that unless you want me to sneak into your dorm in the middle of the night and decorate your sleeping body in shaving cream.

_AustenLvr: _Oh, shaving cream? Come on, Der. That's so amateur. I'm sure you can do better than that!

…But in all seriousness, you've grown up a lot. You've matured a lot from that 15-year-old boy who wanted nothing more than to make me miserable by stealing all of my clothes or squirting me with shampoo.

_KingofBabes91: _Are you actually **encouraging** me to prank you? Are you sure Truman's punch didn't go straight through my head and get absorbed by you? Are you sick?

I never wanted to make you miserable, Case. I just wanted to get your attention.

_AustenLvr: _Haha, very funny. If you were to prank me, I don't think I would get nearly as mad as I got before, unless it was something completely terrible, of course. I just don't think it would be very satisfactory for you, considering your main purpose of pranking was to get a rise out of me.

Well, it certainly worked.

_KingofBabes91: _Well, that sucks. Majorly. What am I supposed to do with my life?

And now look at us. Inseparable. ;)

_AustenLvr: _I don't know. Get a hobby? Another one.

You mean that was what you intended the entire time you were annoying me? To create a profound bond that would stand the tests of time and, beyond all odds, make a lot of sense?

_KingofBabs91: _ I can get a hobby… or a girlfriend. One of those would be nice.

Ha, the 'tests of time' have yet to actually be tested, Casey, dear. We've been Derek and Casey for only five years. The test would have to span over 10 years to actually **qualify **as a test, if you ask me.

_AustenLvr: _A boyfriend would be nice as well… For me, I mean.

Wow, way to be optimistic about our future, Der. I was merely implying that we'll probably stay Derek and Casey for a long while – the rest of our lives, even. I never said we had already endured the tests of time.

_KingofBabes91: _You know I'm going to have to approve of the guy that you date… or **try** to date at least.

Okay, okay. I'm sorry, alright? I was joking. I would think you would know the definition by now. I guess… if we lasted that long… I would be okay with that.

_AustenLvr: _Well, considering you never approve of **any **of my suitors, then I'm going to be single for the rest of my life. And if my guy has to have your stamp of approval, your girl has to have mine.

I would be okay with that too.

_KingofBabes91: _Oh, way to play that card. You've never really been fond of any of my past women, so it looks like I'm stuck in single land as well.

_AustenLvr: _Two virgins doomed to walk the earth alone because of their innate stubbornness towards each other's love interests…

_KingofBabes91: _That sounds like a great movie plot. Mind if I patent that?

_AustenLvr: _There you go, Der! Start making movies again as your hobby. Looky there, I am such a great problem solver. ;)

_KingofBabes91: _Since I am majoring in film, I should probably do some projects on the side. That was actually a good idea, Case.

_AustenLvr: _No need to thank me. I'm happy to help out in any way I can! Just tell me one thing – how will this crazy, twisted plot end?

_KingofBabes91: _I can't tell you that! If I give away the ending, it will spoil the whole movie!

_AustenLvr: _Ugh, fine, party pooper.

Anyway, it's really late, and I have class early tomorrow so I should probably get off… But do you want to hang out tomorrow night?

_KingofBabes91:_ Sounds good! I'll call you and let you know what time. And you can spend the night if you want.

_AustenLvr: _Yeah, I'd love to. :)

Hey, Der, before I get off, I was thinking that we should go home the weekend after next and visit. Mom and George are really busy with Simon, and… Lizzie kind of asked if we would be chaperones at her school dance… and I kind of said yes.

_KingofBabes91: _Us… _chaperoning_ for a bunch of dramatic tweenies at a grade 8 dance? Are you kidding me? Do you even remember what those dances were like? Oh wait… you were at an all girl's school. You wouldn't know.

_AustenLvr: _Come on! It can't be **that **bad! It'll be fun!

_KingofBabes91: _Oh, yeah. Girls running around crying because their crush danced with someone else sounds **so** much fun. Here's an idea – we can watch Simon so Dad and Nora can go chaperone instead!

_AustenLvr: _Lizzie wanted **us** to do it because we're cooler and younger and won't be as strict. Do it for her!

_KingofBabes91: _Aw, really, Case? You're going to make me do this?

_AustenLvr: _Yes. And I expect you to be on your best behaviour and wear something nice as well.

_KingofBabes91: _You're a cruel, cruel woman.

_AustenLvr: _And you're a good, good man for doing this, Venturi, no matter how reluctant you may be.

Okay, I really have to sleep, Der!

_KingofBabes91: _**You're** the one who continued the conversation, not me. ;) Night, Case.

_AustenLvr: _Goodnight, Mr. Stubborn. See you tomorrow.

* * *

She has to endure three, long, boring classes before Derek calls her and tells her to come over around 7ish. They talk for a while as she walks to her dorm , and he tells her he has to go when-

"Bye, Der. I'll see you later. Love you." The words slip from her lips before she has time to catch them, and her hand shoots to her mouth. She stops dead in the middle of the sidewalk and tries to control her breathing, hoping he hung up before he had the chance to hear what she said.

She's used to saying goodbyes with 'love you' tacked to the end, but normally this is only expressed to family members like her mom, dad, and gran. _This_ feels entirely different, though.

She closes her eyes and tries to forget what she just said, but then she hears his voice on the other line, finally speaking. "Bye, Case. I love you too."

There's no click of the phone as he closes it, only his unsteady breathing on the other line. She doesn't hang up either. It's only when someone yells at her to get out of the way that she closes her phone and remembers how to breathe again. A small smile begins to spread across her face as she realizes what he said, and then she breaks out into a huge grin, practically skipping to her dorm room.

He said he loved her. _He said he loved her._ She bursts into her room, dropping her handbag on the ground and flinging herself on her bed, nearly flailing in excitement, butterflies _swarming_ in her stomach.

"_Someone's _happy." It's only then that she realizes her roommate is in the room, and she stops mid-flail, looking over at Cora.

"Just a little." she lies, trying to keep her calm but freaking out on the inside.

"Who is it, Casey?" Cora asks, jumping from her bed to Casey's and taking a seat next to her. "Is this freakout about Derek!"

"Well, yes…" she starts.

"Tell me more." Cora urges, putting her chin in her hands and staring intently.

She hesitates to share something so personal so soon. Especially since she doesn't quite know the meaning behind his words. It could be a friendly 'I love you,' or a – barf – familial 'I love you.' She breathes in. "He… he told me he loves me."

Cora's eyes get wide. "In real life or over a text or-"

"Over the phone." she says, her heart dancing as she recalls the incident.

At that very moment, her phone buzzes, and she looks at the screen reading 'new text from Derek.' Cora gasps and nudges her. "Open it, open it!"

She wishes this was a more private affair, but she can't just tell Cora to go away. That would be rude. Instead she opens her phone and tries to hide the screen from her roommate until she can read it for herself.

'_Case, I don't think I can wait until tonight to see you. Can you come over now?'_ Her breath hitches in her throat and she types a hasty reply.

'_Of course, Der. I'll be over ASAP.'_

"What did he say?" Cora asks, twisting her neck in an awkward position, clearly trying to see her phone. "Come on, spill!"

"He asked me to come over now." she says, though it comes out more of a whisper. She clutches her phone to her chest and it vibrates once more.

'_Good. I'll see you soon. Love you, Case.'_

She types back, and she realizes tears are welling up in her eyes. '_I'll text you when I get there. I love you too."_ God, she sure _hopes_ this isn't a familial 'I love you.'

"What's going on, Casey?" Cora asks, but she's already grabbing her jacket and heading back out the door.

"I'll fill you in later, I promise!" She watches her roommate's face fall as she slams their door shut and practically sprints over to Derek's dorm.

It turns out she doesn't have to text him. He's waiting outside for her despite the extreme cold, and her heart is pounding wildly in her chest as she runs over to him and throws herself into his arms, hugging him tightly.

He hugs her back just as forcefully and whispers into her hair, "I missed you."

"Me too." she says, laughing into his chest. "Even though we just saw each other yesterday."

"Too long." he mumbles, lacing his fingers with hers. "My friend Jake and I were in the middle of a Babe Raider face-off, but I just wanted to see you. I hope you don't mind."

"Uh, no, that's fine." Her heart leaps in her chest as soon as he says the name 'Jake,' but she tries to keep her cool as he leads her up to the third floor.

They enter the lounge and she sees Jake sitting on a couch with a controller in his hand. "Casey, Jake. And Jake you finally get to meet Ca-"

"We've met." Jake says bluntly, a knowing look on his face as he nods in her direction. She gives him a weak smile and realizes she's still holding Derek's hand. She wiggles hers a little, but he doesn't let go.

"Uh… You didn't tell me that. How?" Derek asks, bringing her around to the other side of the couch and sitting down. He pats the cushions beside him and she takes a seat, watching Jake nervously out of the corner of her eye.

"She stopped by the hockey rink yesterday to find you. When, you know…" he lowers his voice to a whisper. "You got decked by that Truman punk."

"Oh." Derek says simply, bringing a hand down to rest on her knee. The gesture is casual and she would be fine with it if Jake weren't there, but he's giving her this amused look, and she's terrified he's going to say something stupid.

"Let's play." Jake says, and Derek picks up his controller, inching ever closer to her, his hands still resting on her leg as he plays. A few times during the game, she catches Jake's eye, and he just shakes his head, laughing silently.

Soon she relaxes, realizing that he isn't going to spill any of the information she told him yesterday. She plays a few rounds and Derek lets her win… once – much to Jake's amusement. Derek leaves them after a while to take a bathroom break, patting her shoulder before he makes his way out of the room.

"Jake-"

"Casey-"

They start at the same time, and then both fall silent. She states awkwardly at the carpet.

"He told you he loved you today, didn't he?" She meets Jake's gaze and can't help but smile.

"Yeah, he did."

"And you said it back."

"Yes."

"So what does that mean?" He looks at her in anticipation, and her smile fades.

"I honestly don't know." She twirls a strand of hair around her finger. "It's bizarre. But… good in a way. I mean, we know how we feel now, but it's just a matter of doing something about it. I'm still worried…"

"It's just a matter of who makes the first move." Jake says, nodding his head as if his best friend and love interest aren't the _weirdest_ pair he's ever met. "But you don't have anything to be worried about, Casey. He-"

But she never gets to find out why she has nothing to worry about because Derek walks back into the room and their conversation is cut short. He jumps over the back of the couch and slings his arm around her, completely unfazed by Jake's presence. Jake leaves shortly after (she doesn't blame him), and her and Derek are left to duke it out on Babe Raider.

She spends the night in his dorm room, both of them whispering 'I love you's' before they fall asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

**Playlist D**

**Song **Don't Wait **Artist **The Duke Spirit **Plays **19

Time changes every idea I've ever had  
Oh, such a heavy love, rolls out like a blanket  
Why must it fold up on me?  
Why must it fold up on me?

Slow replies when I'm hungry enough to give  
Lust is thrown around my room  
I better get out of here  
You can lead me on all of the way home  
You can lead me on all of the way home

Don't wait, don't wait, don't wait for too long,  
Don't say, don't say, don't say a word  
Don't wait, don't wait, don't wait for too long,  
Don't say, don't say, don't say a word

* * *

They go home the Friday after that, greeted by with plenty of smiles and – to his chagrin and her delight – lots of hugs. Lizzie thanks them for agreeing to chaperone her dance, and she almost laughs when Derek tries to act like he's actually excited. He does a pathetic job of faking his enthusiasm, but Liz believes him anyway.

They arrive way after dinner; (only because Derek insisted they eat at a restaurant because he didn't want smorgasbordiesta). The rest of the clan is immediately ushered up to their rooms to go to bed, her mom and George ignoring Edwin and Marti's protests of "but it's Friday!" Eventually they give in when Simon wakes up and starts screaming which only leads to George yelling at them for waking up the baby. She _really_ feels like she's home when Derek is bouncing Simon on his knee and earns a shirt-full of spit-up.

After all the chaos has died down and she and Derek have changed in their pajamas (and Derek takes an extra-long, hot shower), her mom and George are already heading off to bed, no doubt exhausted from the day's events. They say goodnight and she and Derek immediately head to his room, an unspoken agreement between the two of them that this is the norm now.

She sets the alarm on her phone extra early so she can sneak back into her room without anyone finding out she slept in Derek's room. They stay up half the night talking, her head resting comfortably on his chest, his arms encircling her waist.

All that talking makes him thirsty, however, so they both get up to get a drink from the kitchen. He flicks her with the water from the filter and she tries not to shriek in fear of waking anyone up, but she gets him back, pouring part of her water on his head. They engage in a somewhat silent water fight that ends in the both of them (and the kitchen floor) drenched. She laughs as his dripping wet hair falls in his face and he attempts to blow it away, failing miserably.

"Here, I'll help." she says, sweeping his hair back so she can see his eyes again, only this makes her laugh harder as he now has a poof on top of his head. He raises an eyebrow at her. "You look ridiculous." she explains.

"I could say the same thing about you." he nods at her white shirt which she now realizes is completely see-through due to its wetness. Her pink polka dot bra is _noticeably_ visible.

Her jaw drops in shock. "Der-ek!" she shrieks, hitting his arm. "That's so… inappropriate!"

He just smirks. "_Real _cute, Case."

She rolls her eyes. "I'm going to go get some towels."

She runs upstairs, retrieves some towels from the bathroom, and returns to find him trying to mop up some of the mess with napkins. She smiles and hands him a towel, and they wordlessly clean up the floor before standing up, finding themselves with only one dry towel left.

"You take it-" she starts, but then he grabs it off the counter and wraps it around her, pulling her into him so that her face is pressed against his chest and she can feel his heart pounding rapidly. They're both enveloped in the towel now, and she wraps her arms around his waist.

"I love you, Derek." she says breathlessly.

"I love you too, Case."

She'll never get tired of hearing him say that. _Never._ She knows it isn't familial. She also knows it's rather odd to be saying something like that when they aren't even together or when they haven't even really discussed any feelings. But it feels right and comfortable and _good, _so she's not going to force anything until he's willing to be more… proactive.

They finally get themselves fairly dry and head upstairs, hand in hand. He throws her some of his clothes to change into and they face opposite ends of the room as they both change. It's so natural that she doesn't even think about being embarrassed in front of him anymore. The only reason she _doesn't _turn around to see him in his underwear is because she's afraid the sight of a mostly naked Derek will only make her want to jump his bones _more._

When they're done changing, she crawls into bed with him and is asleep within a matter of minutes, wrapped safely in his arms.

She wakes up to the sound of her phone going off. He, of course, continues to sleep through it. She gently moves out from under his arm and he groans in protest, still asleep. She brushes his hair out of his eyes, sitting up and pushing the comforter off of her body. Grabbing her phone and giving Derek one last glance, she opens his door to head to the bathroom.

She steps out of his room with a wide smile on her face… and runs right into her mom.


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: It should not have taken me this long to update, and I sincerely apologize for that! Your feedback while I was writing this chapter was amazing and pushed me to keep going, so I just want to thank you all. School is over! Summer is here! Which means I'll have lots more time to write. I promise to get back to your reviews as soon as I can. I hope this chapter can make up for my long break! I still don't know how I feel about it, but I'm hoping you guys will like it. This chapter is pretty heavy, but the chapters after this one are a lot more fun. I love you guys! Please review if you have the time!**

* * *

**_Chapter 15: "__For God's sake hold your tongue, and let me love." – John Donne_**

"So, you want to tell me what's going on?"

Her mom stands there, her arms crossed, her eyebrows furrowed.

Her heart beats wildly in her chest. She decides the best solution is to feign oblivion. "Mom! Hi! I… I didn't expect you here! How are you?"

Her mom is _not _buying it. "Casey, you didn't answer me."

"What's going on with what, Mom? You're going to have to be more specific."

"With you and Derek."

"What? Nothing!" She laughs, and realizes it comes out a bit manic. She needs to tone it down if this is going to be believable in any way. "Nothing's going on. I mean, besides him getting on my nerves all the time, but that's normal."

"Oh, really? Is that why I heard you saying 'I love you' to him last night?"

She looks down at the ground, defeated, her stomach suddenly feeling incredibly sick. "You heard that?"

"Yes, sweetie. And I_ know_ it was no familial 'I love you.' Definitely not the way you said it. Or the way he said it back." She sees her mom look at her in anticipation, her lips pursed in disapproval.

"Well… you're right about that." she admits, still not looking her mom in the eye.

"Are you two…?" Her mom trails off, either unwilling to complete the question or unsure of what to say. She hopes it's the latter.

"We're not together." Her throat burns as she speaks the truth. "Not officially, anyway. I mean, we're _together _all of the time, and he's my very best friend, Mom, but… I don't know what we're doing, to tell you the truth."

"Being a couple without all the physicality of a couple?"

"Yes and no. Mom, I… I've spent countless nights sharing a bed with him." Her mom's eyes get extremely large in alarm. She's quick to correct herself. "No, no! Not like that! The most we've ever done is cuddle. No kissing or anything like that."

"Wow. Derek must be going insane."

"_I'm _going insane!" she blurts out, and then realizes she's still talking to her _mom_. "Sorry… I shouldn't… I just wish he would take the initiative to do _something_, but…"

"But you're both scared. I know, Casey. You were even too scared to tell me."

She suddenly feels very guilty. "I'm sorry, Mom. I should have told you. It's hard because you're his stepmom, and I felt so _wrong _liking my stepbrother_._ But I've liked Derek for almost five years now. At first I thought it was just a stupid crush and that I would be able to get over it. But it escalated into something so much more."

"And now you love him?"

"I do, Mom. I really do."

"And he loves you?"

Her eyes seek the floor once more. "He says so."

"You don't believe that he does?"

"I do. He just… won't do anything about it."

"Well, neither will you!" Her mom laughs, shaking her head, probably in awe at the stubbornness of her own daughter.

"But-"

"Maybe he's weary to try anything because he's scared of what your reaction might be. Maybe he doesn't know what you want. Have you ever thought about that?" She listens to her mom, her words actually making sense… "I've never known Derek to beat around the bush about any girl he likes. He must not want to mess up your relationship. I know you're a romantic, Casey, and I know how much you believe in chivalry, but I think you should consider making the first move this time."

She feels her heart skip a beat. "So… you're giving me permission?"

"It's not my place to tell you who to date. As hard as it is for me to accept it, you're a very mature woman, Casey. My job was to raise you right and show you what sorts of men were wrong and right. I can only give you advice and hope that you'll take it. If you love Derek, then I don't have any right to stop you from pursuing a relationship with him. Plus, I have a feeling that he really cares about you."

She breathes out a sigh of relief, leaning against Derek's door. "Thank you so much, Mom. You have no idea… I feel like this huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders." Her mom smiles at her and she holds out her arms for a hug. She almost wants to cry, but she holds her tears in. They break apart and she says, "so… how long have you known? Does George know?"

"Nah, he's a little bit slower on the uptake." her mom reassures her. "But we've both always sort of prepared ourselves for this to happen. You're too much like me and Derek's too much like George for anything _not_ to happen, even if it was a crush, like you said before. But it seems that things are far more serious than that."

"Yes. Um…"

"You have nothing to be ashamed about, Casey. Just know that I'll be here for you no matter what."

"Thanks, Mom."

The two women hug once more before she rushes to the bathroom, her breathing shallow. That was absolutely terrifying, even if her mom was accepting of the situation. Overhearing confessions of love was sort of the last way she wanted anyone to find out. But as scary as that confrontation was, she is also relieved, knowing that things could have gone a lot worse. Her gran's reaction on that fateful summer morning flickers in her mind briefly, but she shakes the memory away. If their parents are okay with them being together, then there's little to nothing stopping her from being with him now, besides her own stubbornness.

_I know you're a romantic, Casey, and I know how much you believe in chivalry, but I think you should consider making the first move this time. _Her mom's words echo in her head the entire day as she gets ready for Lizzie's dance that night.

* * *

"Oh, Liz! You look beautiful!"

Lizzie spins around in her dress as Casey compliments her. Meanwhile, he can't tear his eyes from his older stepsister. She's wearing a strapless black dress that hugs her in all the right places. He has a feeling he's not going to be able to keep his hands off of her tonight, no matter how much self-will he's managed to maintain so far. She looks over and him and flashes a smile. He feels his heart beat viciously in his chest. Oh, she's totally teasing him with that outfit.

"Ready to go?" he asks his two stepsisters, eager to stop this mush-fest and get on the road.

"Hold on. Mom wanted to get a few pictures." Lizzie says, running into the kitchen to find Nora.

As soon as she is out of sight, he gets off of the couch and slips a hand around Casey's waist, drawing her close to him.

"You look gorgeous." he whispers into her ear, and she shivers, goose bumps forming on her neck.

"Thank you." she replies. She reaches over and smoothes his tie. "You don't look so bad, yourself."

He's incredibly tempted to kiss her then, her pouty, pink lips shimmering with lip gloss. He brushes his lips against her temple and lets them linger there for a moment before Lizzie comes running out of the kitchen with Nora and a camera in tow.

They break apart in the blink of an eye, and he watches as Lizzie and Casey pose for a few pictures together when Nora grabs his elbow and urges him to join in.

"Come on, Derek!" Lizzie gestures for him to get in the shot. He stands behind Lizzie, resting one hand on her shoulder while wrapping his other arm around Casey, squeezing her into him.

"Der-ek!" she protests, but laughs anyway as Nora takes a few pictures of all three of them.

"Alright, that's enough. It's time to go!" he says, swinging his arms under Casey's knees and hoisting her off the ground, carrying her bridal-style to the door. Poor Lizzie and Nora are left behind as the two of them playfully fight. She manages to successfully break free from his grasp and she swings around, jumping on his back so that he can give her a piggyback ride to the car. She hugs his neck and rests her head on his shoulder, and they continue to laugh until Lizzie clears her throat.

"E-hem. You guys are forgetting someone."

He whips around and looks at Lizze apologetically. "Sorry, Liz. Do you want a piggyback ride too?"

"Um. No thanks." Lizzie shakes her head, gives Nora a goodbye kiss on the cheek, grabs her purse, and heads over to them. She lowers her voice before saying, "but you might want to tone it down a bit. You guys are supposed to be the _chaperones_, remember?"

He slowly lowers Casey to the ground and she continues to grip his arms, looking at the ground in embarrassment. "Right." she says, seeming to come to the realization that her and him were being a little bit too flirty and inappropriate for two people who aren't boyfriend and girlfriend. "We should get going." She gives him a remorseful glance before letting go of her hold on him and ushering Lizzie to The Prince.

The middle school gym looks surprisingly nice for the occasion. Luminaries line the walls and there are a few nicely painted backdrops depicting landscapes and scenic views. As soon as they get there, Lizzie bids them a goodbye, running off to her group of friends that are animatedly admiring the chocolate fountain.

He and Casey stand there awkwardly as the rest of the kids dance and some of the chaperones break up the raunchier clusters of students. About half an hour after they arrive, the first slow song of the night starts to play.

"Dance with me?" He nearly jumps out of his skin when Casey speaks up to his right.

"What?" It's the first time she's addressed him the entire time they've been at the dance, and he's not sure if he heard her correctly.

"Will you… dance with me?"

He can't help but smile. "Of course."

He hesitantly puts his hands on her waist and she wraps her arms around his neck, pressing herself close to him. They sway in time to the music.

He's almost certain that they're dancing closer than any of the other couples in the room. It is only a middle school dance, after all. Still, he can't really be bothered to care. He places his chin on top of her head and just holds her to him.

The slow song eventually stops, and she pulls back, her arms still around his neck. If he wants to kiss her, this is the opportune moment. He decides to go for it, mustering up the courage to lean down. Their faces are only inches from each other…

All of the sudden he hears a few of the middle schoolers scream and they are showered with water from the sprinklers on the ceiling. He looks to his right and sees another chaperone running with a bucket of water to put out what looks like a miniature fire started from one of the luminaries.

"Damnit." he mutters, letting his head fall on her shoulder. She squeals as the sprinklers continue to drench them with water, gently pushing him away from her as she yells over the commotion, "we have to get everyone out of here!"

He nods, indicating he understands, and grabs her hand, weaving them through the crowds of screaming middle-schoolers and jumping up on the bleachers.

"OI!" he yells as loudly as he possibly can. Almost everyone shuts up and looks at him. "Everyone needs to exit the gym in an orderly fashion! That means – get in a line, two by two, and make your way towards the outdoor exits." Kids begin pushing each other and stumbling to get towards the doors.

"Great." he mutters, rolling his eyes. "That worked well." Casey shrugs, her entire body soaking wet by now, her curls now plastered to her neck. He pushes his own hair out of his eyes and watches the middle-schoolers push their way out of the gym and into the parking lot. Once all of them get out semi-safely, he and Casey make their way out into the cold night air. Everyone is shivering. A few kids are pulling out their cell phones and checking them for damage or calling their parents to come pick them up.

Lizzie finds them amidst the throngs of kids. She looks a bit distressed, her night having been ruined because of the unexpected fire drill. _He knows the feeling._ Casey pulls Lizzie to her chest in a tight hug, comforting her. He almost wishes she would do the same to him.

Finally, once all of the kids have found a way home after much turmoil and work on his and the rest of the chaperones' part, they are free to leave themselves. The car ride home is mostly silent until Lizzie decides to speak.

"What's going on between you two?"

He nearly chokes, and Casey gives him a worried look before focusing her attention back on the dashboard, her face turning startlingly crimson.

"What do you mean, Liz?" he asks, forcing his voice to stay calm.

"Don't play stupid, Derek. I'm not 10 anymore."

"Yeah, _unfortunately."_ he mumbles under his breath, and in the rear view mirror he can see Lizzie shoot him a glare. _Does hearing get better with age?_

"I saw you guys dancing." Lizzie says blatantly. "You haven't been able to keep your hands off of each other this entire weekend."

"Pshhh." Casey lets out a sound that resembles a hissing cat. "Since when is that new?"

"But you aren't _fighting_ fighting!" Lizzie protests, crossing her arms at giving them a suspicious look. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you guys are dating."

"Well it's a good thing you _do _know better!" he says, watching as Casey's face gets even redder. "Now zip it, twirp. You're making me nauseous."

"Nauseous like 'butterflies in your stomach because you're in love' nauseous?" Lizzie says hopefully, but he just gives her a look that would shut anybody in their right mind up. She huffs and decides to turn her attention to Casey instead, knowing she won't be able to weasel any information out of him. "Come on, sis! You haven't denied it, you know."

"Are you and Mason dating?" Casey shoots back, and he's impressed as Lizzie looks flustered and leans back in her seat, fumbling for words.

"I asked _you_ a question! You can't turn this back on-"

"I saw you dancing with him. He's cute, Liz. I approve."

"But we're not-"

"Neither are Derek and me."

Lizzie crosses her arms once again and bobs her leg up and down impatiently. "But you like each Derek?" she addresses her sister again.

He doesn't know whether it's a blessing or a curse that they pull into their driveway at that very moment and Casey leans back to ask very quietly, "do you like Mason?'

Lizzie looks like she's going to start arguing again, but then her eyes get wide and a huge smile spreads across her face, and he has the feeling he's missing out on something.

"Whelp, goodnight, you guys." Lizzie says once they get inside. "Thanks for chaperoning, even if we got rained out." She laughs lightly and looks between the two of them jovially. _Yeah, he definitely missed something. _"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some news to tell Edwin." She runs up the stairs, and he looks at Casey, bewildered. She just shrugs.

_Okay then._

"Um, you wanna spend the night again?" he asks Casey, though the question really isn't necessary.

She smiles at him. "Of course. But… I have to take care of something first. You head on up without me. I'll meet you in your room."

He gives her a skeptical look, but walks up the stairs anyway, leaving her to whatever she might be doing.

* * *

She stands at the bottom of the stairs taking in deep breaths, preparing herself for what she's going to do. He almost kissed her at the dance. That's indication enough that they're ready. After five long years of waiting, after horrible timing and ridiculous obstacles, after relationships that wouldn't even have happened if there wasn't an insane amount of jealousy between them, she can say that they can withstand anything now.

She's going to kiss him tonight, and nothing – not sprinklers nor hesitation nor the fact that they're stepsiblings – can stop her.

She clutches the stair railing and holds the folds of her still-wet dress in her other hand, taking one step at a time, convincing herself that she's can do this. It's not a matter of knowing whether or not this is the right thing; she knows that this has to be done. It's just a matter of working up the courage to do so.

She finally gets to the top of the stairs and she breathes in and out once before opening his bedroom door. He's standing there with a towel in his hand, wringing his hair out.

She clears her throat. "Unzip me?"

"Uh… yeah." He throws the towel on his dresser, and she turns around.

She feels tentative fingers on the flesh above her dress. Her breath hitches in her throat as she feels him pull the zipper down, exposing her skin. He finishes without a word, and she clutches her dress to her front before turning around and looking up at him.

"Casey…" he breathes out, his eyes never leaving hers. "What-"

His sentence falls short as she reaches a hand up to his face and runs her fingers across his jaw line. _No reservations._ Not this time. She's ready to feel his lips against hers. She's waited long enough, no matter what the consequence will be.

"Case…" he says once more, but he can't seem to finish his thought.

"I've wanted to do this for so long." she whispers, and then leans up to press her lips to his.

There's a sharp intake of breath on his part, but she doesn't let this faze her as she deepens the kiss by wrapping her arms around his neck. At first he seems unsure of what to do with his hands… or his lips, for that matter, but then he relaxes into their embrace, sliding his hands across her back, her dress falling awkwardly off of her torso and around her waist so that she's only wearing a strapless bra on her upper half. If this deters either of them, it doesn't show. They _certainly_ don't show any signs of stopping any time soon as his tongue enters her mouth and she walks him to the bed, never breaking their kiss.

They fall back against the blankets and she explores his chest with her hands as he clutches to her bare back. His shirt is cold and damp, pushing against her skin, and she shivers, not knowing where to put her hands anymore. He notices, and breaks away from her for a moment to hastily pull his wet shirt over his head and discard it on the floor. He wastes no time in finding her lips again and she takes note of his now bare upper-half. She skillfully wiggles out of her uncomfortable dress, all the while still managing to kiss Derek as she does so.

His lips leave hers, and she gasps when they meet her neck and he sucks, hard, and then traces her collarbone with his tongue. She twists a hand in his damp hair.

"Oh, Derek." she moans, burning with desire for him. He finally meets her gaze one again, and she presses a tender kiss to his lips, her hands untangling from his hair to rest on either side of his face.

"We can… wait." he says, his voice much deeper than normal. "We _should_ wait. You know, take things one step at a time. Before we go any further." His face glows a brilliant shade of red, and she bites her lip, stroking his cheek.

"You're right. I… I got carried away. Especially for um… a first kiss." She laughs nervously and he gives her a smile.

"Well, if that wasn't the hottest first kiss I've ever had, I don't know what is." He chuckles, brushing a stray hair behind her ear, breaking the tension.

"Hottest _first _kiss?" She pretends to be offended.

He rolls his eyes. "Hottest kiss of my life." he corrects himself, and then his face grows serious. "I love you, Casey."

"I love you too." she says, finally able to say those words without any restrictions, the real meaning behind them finally come to light.

"I'm so sorry it took me so long to ask this, but I was scared that you didn't want this… Well, I knew you _wanted _it, but I wasn't sure if you wanted me to do anything about it. Anyway, before I keep blabbing on like an idiot - will you be my girlfriend?" he asks her, his eyes searching hers for an answer.

"Of course." she says shakily, tears spilling forth from her eyes, a wide smile etched on her face.

He kisses her again, smiling against her lips. "I can't believe we had the will power to wait so long to do that." he says. "I could have been kissing you for _years." _

"Yeah, well, we're both incredibly stubborn, and it doesn't help that we're stepsiblings. And liking you pretty much rejected every unwritten law I had made for myself about dating." She laughs. "But I had a crush on you from the start."

"I liked you from the beginning too."

She gives him a skeptical look. "Even with my hideous bangs and retainer?"

"What can I say? Nerdy smart girls turn me on." He shrugs, and she giggles, shaking her head.

They both go silent and his gaze falls on her torso… and it's only then that she notices she's in her undergarments. She immediately feels embarrassed, considering this is the least amount of clothing any guy has ever seen her in.

"I should probably…" her thought trails off as he surveys her for a moment, her cheeks burning red.

"Um, yeah." He jumps out of his bed and opens his dresser drawer, throwing her pair of his boxers and a t-shirt before rifling for one for him to wear.

"You don't have to." she says shyly, and his back is still turned to her, but she can tell he's smiling.

"Okay." he says, turning back around and wiggling his eyebrows at her. "If you insist."

She rolls her eyes but when he leans in to kiss her again, she doesn't protest… Until they've been kissing long enough for her to realize she's _still_ not wearing a shirt. She begrudgingly breaks away from him and holds up his shirt. "I'll be right back! I just have to change."

He groans, flopping down on the bed, looking miserable. "Oh, Case. You're torturing me, here!"

"You waited five years. I think you can wait five minutes." She winks at him, running to her room to clothe herself, her smile never ceasing as she hurries to get back to Derek.

They barely get any sleep that night. She keeps waking up from the excited butterflies flitting around in her stomach (and the fear that she might be dreaming this whole thing up.) Several times, she's awoken by his lips pressing firmly against hers and her almost-need to respond to him. A few times she wakes him up the same way he woke her, their inability to keep to themselves becoming ever more apparent with every passing moment.

It's a restless night of kisses and anticipation, of bodies melded so closely together, you couldn't even fit a blade of grass between them, of relieved tension and almost perfection.


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: It was so hard for me to write this chapter. I actually found myself working on the one after this way more than this one, and I apologize! At least you know I will update the next chapter quickly, because I'm almost done writing it. Warning – MAJOR fluff ahead. ;) I hope you guys like this, and please review if you have the time!**

* * *

_**Chapter 16: **__**"**__**For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.**__**" – Judy Garland**_

He's awoken to a soft pressure on his lips, and when he opens his eyes, the first thing he sees is Casey.

"Morning, Sleepyhead." she says, smiling at him. Memories of the night before come flooding back to him. He remembers drifting in and out of consciousness because of their physical need to be close to each other. He smiles back at his girlfriend. (It feels _so damn good_ to finally be able to call her that!)

"I could get used to waking up like this." he mumbles, closing the small gap between them once more. When they finally break apart he groans. "_Why_ on earth were we not doing this before? I feel like such a huge portion of my life was wasted kissing other people when I could have been kissing you."

She playfully rolls her eyes at his obvious frustration. "Don't stress about it! We have the rest of our lives to make up for lost time."

"That we do... I love having a smart girlfriend." He raises his eyebrows suggestively and she giggles when he moves over her and begins sucking on her neck.

Their antics are stopped short, however, when they hear a knock at the door. "Derek?"

"_Shit!"_ he whispers. She looks at him in alarm and then rolls out from under him, landing on the floor on the other side of his bed with a thud.

And just in the nick of time, too. His dad opens the door and walks into the room, looking at him with narrowed eyes. "What was that noise?"

"Uh… I just… hit my head on the headboard while I was sleeping! No big deal!" He comes up with a hasty lie off the top of his head. (Not too shabby.)

Except… "You _just_ woke up? It's nearly 12 PM!"

"Late night… With Lizzie's dance, you know?"

His dad shakes his head. "Well, get dressed! And when you're done, grab Casey and tell her to come downstairs with you. Nora and I have something we need to discuss with the both of you."

His dad leaves the room, and she pokes her head over the side of the bed to check if the coast is clear. He gives her his hand and helps her climb back up next to him.

"Sorry about that." he says, placing a hand on her knee. "First day of being boyfriend and girlfriend and I'm already having you dive under furniture so that our parents don't see us making out."

"It's okay…" she grabs his hand and laces her fingers in his. "You don't think they know, do you?"

"I don't see how they could…"

"I mean, I told Mom about us being a 'thing,' but they can't know that we're _together_ yet."

His heart skips a beat, his throat going dry. "You _told_ her about us?"

"Oh, Der. I'm sorry! I forgot to tell you! She caught me sneaking out of your room yesterday morning."

He gulps. "How did she take it?"

"Well. Really well. I don't think she told George." She taps her chin for a moment, thinking. "At least I hope not."

He falls back against his pillows, scrunching his face up. "We're screwed."

"No we're not!" she protests, lying down next to him with her head on his chest. "Everything is going to be fine. They probably just want to talk about accommodations for next year or something."

"Apartment?" he questions, suddenly feeling a lot better.

"Maybe. I hope so." They lay there in comfortable silence for a while, contemplating the benefits of sharing an apartment. She eventually pats his stomach and sits up. "Come on. We should really get dressed and go downstairs. We don't want to make them more suspicious!"

"Ugh, five more minutes, _please!_"

"But then five minutes will turn into ten, and then before you know it, George and Mom will be coming up the stairs to check on us because it's been an _hour_. Get up, Lazy."

"You really think we'd be canoodling for an hour up here?" He licks the inside of his mouth and leans back enticingly against the pillows.

She sighs and tries her best not to look at him. "Yes, I do. And I wish we could, but the 'rents are calling." She stands up, and he instantly feels colder without her beside him. "I need to change into some clothes that don't belong to you. And _you_ need to put a shirt on, because you are far too tempting without one."

He pouts, and she leans over to give him a peck on the lips that is entirely too short for his liking. "I'll meet you downstairs."

And, with that, she prances out of the room and leaves him get dressed all by his lonesome. He honestly doesn't know how she has the self-will to do _anything_ unrelated to kissing. He misses the feel of her lips against his already. _Ugh… _He's in trouble.

He sluggishly makes his way out of bed and puts on a pair of pants and a polo. By the time he makes it downstairs, Casey and the 'rents are already huddled around the kitchen island eating breakfast.

"What took you so long?"

"I had to get dressed." he says, shrugging and taking a seat next to his girlfriend. "Casey is not allowed the privilege of seeing me shirtless."

Casey snorts into her cereal bowl beside him, and he has to do his best to keep a straight face as his dad and Nora stare at her in confusion.

"Sorry." Casey apologizes, wiping her face with a napkin. "That mental image was almost too grotesque to bear." She's practically cracking up, trying her hardest to lie. This 'pretending to hate each other' routine is going to be harder than he thought.

"Alright…" His dad looks between them, still befuddled, but he continues anyway. "We need to ask you two a favor."

He doesn't trust himself to speak, still recovering from Casey's mini meltdown. He merely nods, keeping one hand over his mouth as laughter threatens to spill forth.

"George has a huge case this week, and I promised your gran that I would help her redecorate the lodge this week…" Nora continues talking for his dad, and he thinks about how he and Casey sometimes finish each other's sentences. He reaches for her hand and softly strokes the back of it with his thumb. She conceals the smile itching at her lips. Nora goes on. "We could really use your help with Simon. Normally we wouldn't do this so last minute, and I know you have class, but our sitter canceled on us, and we need someone to watch him while George is at work-"

"Mom, it's okay." Casey speaks up beside him. "Derek and I will let our professors know about taking off of class. Don't stress about this any more than you have to."

Nora lets out a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much. The both of you." She looks between them knowingly, and it's almost as if she has x-ray vision and can see their hands clasped through the table. He quickly releases Casey's hand as Nora makes her way to the other side of the island to give them both hugs.

Casey gives him a flustered look over her mother's shoulder. _Oh no_. This is not going to be easy _at all._

* * *

"Babysitting? I can't even believe you agreed to taking a week off of school at all… Are you sure you're really Casey McDonald?"

They're back in his room now; the rest of his breakfast consisted of shoveling down cereal, slipping Casey a post-it note that said 'meet me upstairs', and being considerably bored while waiting for her to finish. He questions her motives as soon as she steps through the door.

"I figured it would give us a week to ourselves…" Casey says hesitantly, approaching him and sitting on his lap, straddling him and the sides of his desk chair.

It takes a lot to concentrate on the point he was trying to make with her in that position, especially when she slings her arms around his neck. "It won't be just us." He clears his throat. "Simon. And the sibs when they get home from school. And Dad when he gets home from work."

"No classes, though." One of her hands plays with the collar of his shirt. "And with Lizzie, Ed, and Mari at school, that gives us at least 7 hours of time together."

"With Simon."

"Still. We'll be with each other all day."

"I don't think you know what you're getting yourself into." he says, laughing and pressing his forehead to hers. "Have you ever babysat an actual _baby _before?"

"Yes!" she says, poking him in the arm defensively.

"They require _constant _attention. We'll be too busy with him to pay attention to each other."

She looks a little frustrated for a moment before inching closer to him. "Then we better start making up for the lost time." She closes the gap between their lips, and he finds himself in another mind-numbing kiss with her. He snakes his arms around her waist and, even though he didn't think it was possible, she manages to get even closer. Their kisses become hotter and more fervent, and he's just about to suggest moving to the bed when they hear a knock on the door.

Casey jolts off of his lap and, once again, lands on the floor with a thud, this time on her butt. He reluctantly wipes his mouth and tries to look less flushed, though he doesn't exactly think it's working very well.

Edwin enters the room, and he looks between the two of them with an expression of complete and total snugness. _He couldn't possibly have seen them… right?_

"_Hey_, guys." Edwin says, plopping down on Derek's bed casually. "Why is Casey on the floor?"

"Derek… pushed me." Casey says, standing up and making a point to brush off her shorts and glare at him as convincingly as she possibly can.

"Why are you even in Derek's room, Casey?" Edwin asks, smirking.

"I was… helping him email his teachers about staying here this week to look after Simon."

"Uh huh." Good god, Edwin can be annoying sometimes. "And why did you push her, Derek? That's not very gentleman-like of you."

"Get off my bed and get out of here, Edweirdo." he says, folding his arms across his chest and ignoring his younger brother's question.

"_Fine._" Edwin jumps off the bed and heatedly makes his way to the door. He turns around before he leaves. "But you guys should really tone down the moaning while you're making out. I could hear you all the way up in the attic." He gives a satisfied smile and shuts the door behind him.

"Oh my god." Casey's lips are sealed shut, and her face is the brightest shade of red he's ever seen on a human being. He would laugh if he himself wasn't mortified.

"Remind me to get soundproof walls installed… and to lock the door next time."

* * *

The next few days are exhausting for the both of them. They have a hard time going to sleep when all they want to do is spend the alone time they have with each other kissing and talking and kissing some more. She knew before that if they were to get together, their relationship would come with five years of built-up physical tension, but she never expected it to be quite this bad. It's particularly difficult when their siblings come home and she can't even touch him without warranting a haughty look from both Edwin and Lizzie (who have obviously been discussing them behind their backs), or a befuddled look from the ever clueless George or Marti.

Babysitting Simon is harder than she expected. Derek was right; he requires constant care, always crying for food, diaper changings, and attention. He tends to gravitate more towards Derek, which, truthfully, hurts a little, but she never really had experience with this baby thing.

It's the middle of the week, and she's already ready to go back to university. They decide to take Simon out for a day at the park because, frankly, they're both starting to crave the fresh air after being cramped up in the house for the past few days.

After running around the trail while pushing Simon in his stroller, she takes a seat on a bench near an elderly woman and watches Derek with Simon on the playground.

"You have a beautiful family." the woman speaks up beside her.

She doesn't even bother to correct her. Too many questions. Too much of a hassle. Besides, it _is _her family in a way, though most likely not in the way the woman assumes. "Thank you." she says softly, watching her boyfriend spin Simon around and lift him into the air, laughing. She can feel her heart melting.

"How long have you two been together?" the elder woman asks.

"Five years." The lie comes out without a second thought, surprisingly.

"Oh my. That's a fairly a long time for two people so young." All she can do is nod her head, so the woman speaks up again. "I can tell you really love each other. Why, I don't even think my husband ever quite looked at me the way he looks at you."

Her cheeks burn as Derek looks her way and smiles, sheer adoration written on his face. Her head goes dizzy with emotion. She knows he has _certainly_ never looked at any of his other girlfriends that way. She can barely help the tears that spill forth from her eyes. She wipes them away hastily and turns back to the woman sitting next to her. "I'd better get going. Thanks again."

The woman offers her a smile. "I wish you both all the best in the future." She leans in and whispers, "but between you and me, I don't think you'll have to worry. He looks like a keeper!"

She laughs and waves goodbye, hurrying over to Derek and Simon. Derek holds Simon in one arm and takes her hand with the other. Before he can say anything, she kisses him full on the mouth, trying to express all of her feelings for him in that single kiss.

When she breaks away from him, he stares at her in awe. "What was that for?"

"I just really, really love you." she says, squeezing his hand.

"Well, I really, really love you too." He places Simon in his stroller and they head home.

* * *

By the end of the week, they have a sort of routine down. Naturally, Derek is much better than her at everything, although Simon seems to be warming up to her. When she's not with the two of them, she reads an old baby manual she found on her mom's bookshelf. Derek catches her with it a few times and makes fun of her profusely.

It's Friday, their last day before they go back to Queen's, and they're getting ready to put Simon down for a nap.

"Why are you so good at this? _How _are you so good at this?" She wearily watches Derek handle the baby with ease yet again.

"I blame it all on Marti." he says, fixing Simon's diaper. "Not very many people know this, but I took care of her a lot when she was younger." He pulls the first flap a bit too tightly, but he doesn't seem to notice as Simon squirms a bit.

_She_ notices, though. Derek's tone changes almost immediately at his mention of Marti, and she can tell something is wrong. "Der…"

"I mean, I was ten when she was born, and Mom was never around and Dad was always at work, so-" He fastens the next flap, and Simon whimpers.

"Der!"

"What?" Derek looks up, finally snapping out of his trail of memories.

"That's… pretty tight." she says, moving over to Simon and loosening his diaper. "He looked a little uncomfortable."

Derek automatically looks horrified. "I'm sorry! I didn't realize-"

"Shh. Don't apologize. It's okay. It's really okay." She knows his mom is a touchy issue, and she doesn't press the matter further.

Derek looks thoroughly embarrassed as she takes over and moves Simon from the changing table to his crib. He slips out of the room before she gets the chance to talk to him.

She doesn't find him until fifteen minutes later. He's sitting in the backyard on one of the patio benches. She takes a seat next to him and places her hand on his in a silent gesture of comfort.

She jumps when he speaks. "One day I was watching Marti, and she was sick. Her temperature spiked, and I didn't know what to do. I was only twelve." He looks at her, finally, and seems genuinely upset, which is saying something. "It was so scary, Case. I kept trying to call my mom, but she wouldn't pick up her phone. I ended up running next door for help, and Mrs. Davis had to take us to the emergency room. Seeing Marti like that terrified me. Even worse was not having someone in the family I could go to. Dad was at work, so I couldn't blame him at all, but my mom should have been there. She should have been there for Marti, and Edwin… and me. I love my mom. I mean, of course I love her, but she really screwed our family over."

"Sometimes it scares me how similar we are." she whispers, wrapping her arms around him. "I have the same issues with my dad."

He puts his chin on her head and starts playing with her hair. "You're the only one I could ever talk to about this. You just… _get_ me, Case."

"For what it's worth… all the crap she put you through, all of the upsetting times you had, and all of mistakes she caused you to make only made you the amazing person you are today, and one day you are going to be an _incredible _father."

"You think I'm an amazing person?" He seems shocked by this seemingly new tidbit of information from her.

She looks up at him and takes his face in her hands. "Derek Venturi, I think you are the most wonderful man to ever exist."

She can feel the heat rising on his cheeks underneath her fingertips, and his gaze falls to the ground. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"You really don't know how incredible you are."

He grasps her wrists and gently pulls her hands away from his face. "Case, don't make me out to be something I'm not."

"I've seen your flaws. I know things that no one else does. And yet, I've never loved someone as much as I love you." It feels strange to admit out loud, but she knows it's true. She doesn't know when things got so emotionally heavy between them. Here they are – him barely 19 and her only 18 - and she's already so certain that she can never love someone else as much as she loves him. She doesn't even know if there are words adequate enough to describe how much he means to her. Five years ago he barged into her life, and all she's ever known since then is _him_.

He seems to be thinking the same thing because he says, "where would we be without each other?"'

"I honestly don't know." He's her stepbrother, her best friend, and her boyfriend. They've come a long way from being mortal enemies.

"I should be scared right now, but I'm not." He sighs heavily. "You've reduced me to a mushy, emotional mess, and we haven't even gotten to our weekaversary yet."

She laughs against his chest. "Get used to it."

"Gladly."

Making out on a hard, wooden bench is not exactly the most fun thing in the entire world, but she probably doesn't even notice if splinters are going into her back because of the way he kisses her. They can't seem to catch a break this week, however, and they stop when they hear Simon crying.

"What a mood ruiner." she whines, sitting up to go take care of the baby, but Derek stops her.

"Don't worry about it. I'll go see what's wrong with him." He smiles and kisses her forehead, running inside to check on Simon. She sits there for a moment, relishing the light breeze and the birds singing. Until she hears Derek yelling "no, no, no!" and Simon wailing at the top of his lungs, that is.

She rushes upstairs and sees a terrified Derek holding a distraught Simon, looking incredibly unsure of what to do.

"Derek!" She hurries over to the both of them. "What are you doing to him?"

"He called me 'daddy!'" His voice cracks on the last word. "I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry… I just-"

"Well, just hand him over, and I'll take care of-"

They both stop short when Simon reaches his hands out to her and wails, "mommy, mommy!"

"Oh no. Oh no, no, no." She puts her hands on her head in panic. "This is not happening."

"Mommy!" Simon persists, struggling and squirming in Derek's arms.

"Is he even supposed to be talking yet?" she questions, looking at her boyfriend in horror. "This is abnormal!"

"Well, obviously he's talking, Case!" Derek says, raising his eyebrows, fighting to keep Simon still. He breathes out, calming himself and trying to act rationally. "Different babies develop at different times."

"I know that!" she says, beginning to pace the nursery. Derek's ability to relax at any given moment makes her more perturbed. "It's just… early, right? Where's the baby manual?"

"He is a child, not a car." Derek says under his breath, but she's too busy freaking about Simon to reprimand him.

"Daddy!" Simon protests, reaching up and tugging on Derek's hair.

"Oh my god. We've ruined him! We've ruined our parents' child!"

Simon cries even louder, her uneasiness making him upset. Derek sits down in the rocking chair and bounces him on one knee to try to calm him down. "It's okay, Simon. Mommy's just having a little episode right now. She does this sometimes."

"Der-ek! Stop calling me that!"

"Uh-oh. Mommy's mad at Daddy!"

"Derek, this isn't a joke!" she takes Simon from Derek and starts to rock him back and forth. He goes quiet almost immediately, little silent tears running down his face as she whispers "shhhh" softly in his ear. Eventually her tactics work and he's lulled to sleep by her comforting movements and soothing voice.

"Okay, when he wakes up, he won't call us 'mommy' and 'daddy' anymore." she whispers, making her way over to the crib to put Simon to bed yet again.

"Yeah, because when you say it, you know it's going to come true."

She shoots Derek a glare, and he holds his hands up in defense, following her anyway. She carefully tucks Simon into his crib and feels an arm around her shoulders as Derek pulls her close to him, kissing her temple.

"Sorry for joking around." he whispers against her cheek. "You're pretty good at this baby stuff… when you're not flipping out."

"Thanks, I think." She sighs, wrapping her arm around his waist. "You're not so bad, yourself, _Daddy." _She looks up at him, a twinkle in her eye.

He looks back at her, knowingly. "Would Mommy like to accompany me to the other room?"

"_Gladly."_


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: I honestly hate it when I don't publish these chapters as fast as I want to. I'm so sorry this took so long! I hope you all can forgive me, and I hope this chapter makes up for it. It's my longest one yet! Just know that I'm never going to give up on this story. I just don't have as much time as I'd like to to work on it. **

**I would say this chapter has more of an M rating than T. Nothing gets too graphic, and I kept the scenario as tame as I possibly could. I just wanted to warn you that this chapter is a bit more adult than the others. Happy reading, and please review if you have the time! I will get back to you as soon as I can!**

* * *

_**Chapter 17: "Love is as much of an object as an obsession, everybody wants it, everybody seeks it, but few ever achieve it, those who do will cherish it, be lost in it, and among all, never... never forget it." – Curtis Judalet**_

As soon as her mom comes home, they take that as their cue to get out of there as quickly as possible before Simon pulls anymore mommy/daddy nonsense. Before they do this, however, they must take care of the two middle McDonald-Venturis who have been not-so-furtive in keeping their siblings' secret relationship a secret.

Lizzie is easy enough to handle. She is respectful of her sister's wishes and understands that Derek and she will tell George and her mom when they're ready.

Edwin, on the other hand, requires a little more persuasion. Derek tries money and physical threats to get him to hold up his end of the bargain, and even though he says he'll be silent, he still seems untrustworthy. It's only when Derek brings out the big guns and threatens to expose a long-concealed piece of blackmail, (in the form of a picture of Edwin kissing Sir-Monks-A-Lot) that the younger Venturi boy's smug smirk is wiped from his face and they know their secret is safe.

They came to the mutual decision not to tell their parents yet. Although her mom was very supportive when she found out about a blossoming relationship, it is hard to tell what her reaction may be to a real one. He also doesn't think that his dad will take the news quite as well. The imminent lecture also deters them from telling the truth too soon.

They stay long enough to say their goodbyes and make a hasty exit with the excuse that they have to get started on the schoolwork they missed that week.

Derek gets hungry on the way home (because, really, when is Derek _not _hungry?) and they stop at Tim Hortons to get something to eat. She knows he is a possessive boyfriend from seeing the way he treated Kendra and Sally, but she never really experienced his full-fledged jealousy first-hand.

Derek runs to the bathroom before they order their food, and while she's standing in the line, another customer starts flirting with her. He would be attractive... if she wasn't completely enthralled with Derek. When her boyfriend comes back and sees said guy chatting it up with her, he doesn't take it lightly. Derek wraps an arm around her waist and lets practically everyone in the restaurant know that she's his girlfriend. Others might be annoyed by his over-protective nature, but she just finds it endearing. She finds it hard to stop smiling for the rest of the night.

When they finally make it back to Queen's, he walks her to her dorm to say goodbye, but they're pleasantly surprised when Cora isn't in sight. She invites him to stay the night, and he happily obliges. After an exhausting week of caring for Simon, sleep overtakes them quickly.

* * *

They both wake up when Cora comes trudging into the room at 10 AM holding her high heels in one hand and keys in the other. She groans and plops down on her bed with her makeup and dress still on.

"Casey, do you have any asprin?" she whines, completely unaware of the fact that he is in the room. He gives his girlfriend an amused look, and she giggles before answering Cora.

"Yeah, I'll get some for you." Casey scrambles out of bed, untangling her limbs from his, though he puts up a silent fight to keep her there beside him. She finally manages to get away from him and hurries over to her purse, opening it and flinging the bottle of medicine at her roommate.

It lands on the mattress to Cora's right, and she gives a small thanks before opening the bottle and popping four pills in her mouth.

"How was the party?" Casey asks, sitting back on the bed. He sits up and wraps his arms around her, placing his head on her shoulder.

"I can't even remember." Cora's eyes are closed as she talks, still oblivious to the world. He lets out a low chuckle into Casey's neck.

"What the hell?" Cora's eyes fly open, and she finally notices him. Her eyebrows scrunch together as she addresses Casey. "Okay, I know I'm hungover, but is that _Derek _in your bed with you?"

"Good morning, Cora." he says, giving Casey's roommate a wide smirk.

Cora sits up, clutching her head, an amused look on her face. "Casey McDonald, you rebel, you! I never thought I would see the day that _you_ had a guy spend the night!"

Casey shrugs. "It's Derek. He is the exception to all rules."

"Eh, not all of them, Case." he says, reluctantly pulling away from her. He feels guilty when she gives him a confused look. _Guilty._ Jeez, what is this girl doing to him? "I have make-up hockey practice today because I missed all last week. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. It sort of slipped my mind."

She smiles. "It's okay. But I'll see you later, right?"

"Absolutely." He gathers up his shirt, puts on his shoes, and kisses her goodbye, not even paying heed to Cora's watchful eyes. "I'll text you when I'm done."

He leaves the room, but not before hearing a shriek from Casey's roommate and a "You are so in love!" And he lingers just long enough to hear that Casey doesn't deny it.

* * *

October 29th, 2009

Case,

This letter is going to be particularly sappy and uh… unlike me. I just have to say some things. Like… you're beautiful. You're so beautiful, and I don't even think you realize it, and that makes you even more beautiful. Normally I say girls are hot or sexy, and, of course, you are both those things too, but you're not the same. Your eyes and your hair and your dancer's body… Everything about you is gorgeous. I look around and see all of these other girls, and none of them can even hold a candle to you. Even when you wake up in the morning and your hair is sticking up and you have sleepies and no makeup on, you are still the prettiest girl I know. So… yeah. You already know how smart you are. And how talented. And how you're the only girl that's ever managed to get under my skin and challenge me and make me want to be a better person.

Once again, I love you.

-Derek

* * *

As the semester goes on, they continue to see less and less of each other. Derek's hockey season eventually ends, but he still has conditioning. He also takes up a job at La Chien Noir. Professors start to crack down on the school work and tests. They try their best to study together, but their limited amount of shared subjects also makes it difficult.

She starts to get weary of classes and school and anything that doesn't have to do with Derek. Sure, with her other boyfriends there was lots of kissing, but not in the same way she kisses Derek or the way he kisses her back. She feels there is a physical _need_ to be beside him, to be touching him in some way shape or form. They don't go anywhere together without at least holding hands.

Her aggravation continues to build when they're unable to find time alone together. Gary, due to his spectacular ability to repel girls, spends a lot of time moping around Derek and his dorm room. He also has impeccably bad timing, so when he does attend a party or social event, he somehow manages to return at the most inconvenient times – aka when things are starting to get hot and heavy. And because she lives in an all female residency, it is far harder to sneak Derek into her dorm than it is for her to stay in his co-ed one. (It also helps that the security guard has been secretly pining for her and Derek to get together for a while now and fully supports their relationship.)

They can't seem to catch a break. Gary won't even practice common courtesy and let them be for _one_ night because if _he's_ miserable, than everyone else deserves to be miserable as well. It gets to the point where she's afraid that she might just jump Derek's bones the next time she sees him – whether that be in public or not.

It's not until she wakes up in the middle of a post-study nap, drenched in a cold sweat from a particularly graphic dream about her and Derek, that she realizes what she's truly experiencing.

Sexual frustration.

* * *

November 11th, 2009

Case,

Shit this is so hard. I can't live my life without you. Wow, that sounds like a freaking teenage angst song. It's just… today, in the cafeteria, they had some meatloaf special, and I almost broke down. That's right. I almost cried because of meat. loaf. It made me think of March break and that hilarious fight we had and how I wish we could just go back to all of that. I want to have some bizzaro fight with you in which we hurl bathroom products or Nora's bad cooking at each other. That's not too weird, right?

I LOVE YOU.

-Derek

* * *

_AustenLvr is signed on._

_KingofBabes91 is signed on._

_KingofBabes91_: I can't do thisssssssssssss. I miss you too much. We need to get an apartment next year.

_AustenLvr:_**Man up**, Venturi! You're not going to die without me. ;)

_KingofBabes91_: I might. I just might.

_AustenLvr: _Wow. Now that I know I have this incredible amount of power over you, what can I do to put this use? Hmm…

_KingofBabes91_: Don't torture me. That's just cruel. I might get withdrawal symptoms!

_AustenLvr: _Calm down. I'm only kidding. I miss you too, you know.

_KingofBabes91_: Then let me take you on a date this Saturday. We haven't even been on a proper **date,** Case. What kind of boyfriend am I?

_AustenLvr: _The kind who does everything backwards.

_KingofBabes91_: Hey, you were the one who told me you loved me first.

_AustenLvr: _It was a slip of the tongue!

_KingofBabes91_: Is that your excuse for initiating the first kiss too? ;)

_AustenLvr: _Stop.

_KingofBabes91_: No.

_AustenLvr: _You're just mad because you didn't have the balls to do what I did.

_KingofBabes91_: Whoa, whoa. Hold up! I was being a gentleman! And I'm initiating the first date, aren't I? So, what do you say?

_AustenLvr: _Yes, you can take me out on Saturday.

_KingofBabes91_: WOOOO! Good god, that was harder than I thought.

_AustenLvr: _Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind, Der.

_KingofBabes91_: Like what? Tell me more, tell me more.

_AustenLvr: _Cute. Well… you, for one.

_KingofBabes91_: Well that's obvious. Go on.

_AustenLvr: _You and… stuff.

_KingofBabes91_: Cryptic Casey is being cryptic. What are you talking about? Stuff? Define 'stuff.'

_AustenLvr: _I'm too embarrassed.

_KingofBabes91_: Okay. That excuse is not going to work on me. We talk about everything, Case. Come on.

_AustenLvr: _You and… doing stuff.

_KingofBabes91_: Oh?

OH.

_AustenLvr: _Yeah. I told you. I… I'm so dumb. Just forget it.

_KingofBabes91_: No, Case. It's alright. Do you know how often I think about that? ;)

_AustenLvr: _Der-ek!

_KingofBabes91_: What? You're hot, you're my girlfriend, and I'm in love with you. It's **okay** to think about it.

_AustenLvr: _But me… thinking about that? It's kind of… I don't know.

_KingofBabes91_: Normal.

_AustenLvr: _Out of character.

_KingofBabes91_: You're not in a freaking preteen novel, Case. This isn't Judy Blume. It's okay, really.

_AustenLvr: _Fine.

_KingofBabes91_: So…

_AustenLvr: _So… what?

_KingofBabes91_: So, you're the one that brought it up. What do you want to do about it?

_AustenLvr: _I guess… when do you think we'll be ready?

_KingofBabes91_: I think that when the perfect time comes, we'll know.

_AustenLvr: _You really think so?

_KingofBabes91_: Yes, darling, I really do.

_AustenLvr: _I'm rolling my eyes at your attempts to be a romantic. But just to let you know, I love you anyway, despite your cheesiness.

_KingofBabes91_: What do you mean, my 'attempts?' I'm pretty sure that was natural charm. And I love you too, Case, despite your problem of talking about sex.

_AustenLvr: _DER-EK, seriously.

_KingofBabes91_: I think the more important question is, what soundtrack should I select for this momentous occasion? We can't lose our v-cards to sounds we're going to regret! I'm thinking some Marvin Gaye.

_AustenLvr: _Oh my god.

_KingofBabes91_: I'VE BEEN REALLY TRYING, BABY.

_AustenLvr: _Derek, I am going to disconnect.

_KingofBabes91_: TRYING TO HOLD BACK THIS FEELING FOR SO LONG.

_AustenLvr: _Goodbye!

_KingofBabes91_: LET'S GET IT ON.

_AustenLvr: _See you later!

_AustenLvr has signed off._

_KingofBabes91_: AAAAAAHHHHHHH BABY.

* * *

November 24th, 2009

Case,

Today I remembered the first time I realized I was in love with you. We were out on the pier during the summer. It was nearly 2 AM, and you were standing there with water dripping down your body and you had just flung your hair up into a ponytail. And I couldn't stop staring at you. Not because you were in that really sexy orange bikini. Or the fact that you were irresistibly beautiful (because you were.) But because you were laughing like I had never heard you laugh before, and I wanted that laugh to belong to me. I wanted to be the only person in the world to make you laugh like that ever again.

I just hope to god that I get that opportunity.

I love you a ridiculously implausible amount.

-Derek

* * *

The day of their date, she insists on getting ready and all dressed up, even though Derek tells her he couldn't care less. She wants everything to be perfect, though. After all, it is there very first date together. She wants it to be filled with good memories, not bad.

He arrives at her dorm to pick her up, and when she opens the door, his jaw nearly hits the floor. "Good god, Case. How am I supposed to concentrate on _anything_ besides you?"

She giggles, stepping into his arms and giving him a kiss. "Mmm… I've been looking forward to this all week."

"I hope don't let you down. That's a pretty big expectation to live up to there." He winks at her.

"I have faith in you."

"Ready to see what I have in store, then?"

She nods, and he takes her hand and whisks her away to The Prince. They pull up to a club called "Stages," and her heart begins thumping loudly in her chest.

"We're going… dancing?" She looks at him, hopeful.

"Yes." He quirks an eyebrow at her. "Crazy Legs was getting restless." He leans in closer to whisper in her ear. "And if I'm being truthful, I _love_ dancing with you." His voice sends shivers up and down her spine.

Soon they're out on the dance floor, outshining every other couple around them and having the time of their lives. Afterwards, he takes her to a quiet Italian bistro where they can talk and eat in peace. The romantic lighting and atmosphere only seems to make her more anxious, however. She squirms in her seat almost the entire dinner, wishing she were sitting _next_ to Derek instead of across from him.

When they're finished sharing a piece of chocolate cheesecake for dessert, he takes her hand, and she stops her knees from bouncing up and down like crazy.

"I brought you something. A gift of sorts." he says, reaching for his pocket with his free hand.

Her stomach drops. _She didn't get him anything_. "Derek…"

"Don't worry." he says, as if he can read her mind. "It didn't cost me a cent."

He extracts this so-called gift from his pocket and hands it to her across the table. She takes the bundle of envelopes wrapped in a red ribbon, and her cheeks grow warm as she realizes what she's holding. "Your letters…? All of them?"

"All 93, beginning from the day you left." He hesitates before continuing. "Er, don't get mad at me for the first few weeks' worth. I was… pissed. Beyond belief."

She _hates_ being reminded of the fact that she hurt him so much. She doesn't know if she'll ever stop regretting those three months without him. "You had every right to be." she says in a small voice.

"Hey, don't be upset about it, okay?" He pats the back of her hand. "The past is behind us now."

"You're amazing, Der."

"Save the compliments for later." he says, flashing a smile anyway. "The best part of the night has yet to begin." He withdraws his hands from hers and two seconds later he is extracting what looks like a credit card at first glance.

"What… what's that?"

"The key… to our hotel room."

If she was enthused before this, it came nowhere _close_ to how she feels now. "No way!"

"Yes way!"

She can't resist jumping up and showering Derek in kisses.

Their waiter doesn't even have to be told to bring them the check.

* * *

They never even make it to the hotel. He steps on a nail – a nail that goes straight through his flip flop and into his heel – as they're walking from the restaurant to The Prince. Casey cries all the way to the emergency room, and he swears she's going to crash the car because she can't see through her tears. He keeps insisting that he's okay, but she's still having a hysterical meltdown, clearly more upset about his injury than he is.

When they get to the emergency room, he's almost completely mortified as he tries to explain to the nurse what happened, but Casey automatically interrupts. (Apparently a foot-injury means it's unviable for him to speak.) All he can get out of her rant are phrases like "stepped on a nail," "so much blood," "I should have walked on that side of the street," and his _particular _favourite, "it was supposed to be our first time!"

And then he realizes why she's really upset. Okay, yes, so her boyfriend stepping on a nail had to be somewhat of a traumatic experience, especially since she's Casey and things are 10x more dramatic to her normally. But she's truly upset because their night was ruined – a night she wanted so desperately to be perfect. And she doesn't know when she was going to have another chance to make it up to him… or herself. Alone time is scarce at Queen's.

The hospital staff quickly ushers him to a room and tells him to lay down on the bed before someone comes to check out his foot.

"Sir, if your girlfriend doesn't stop crying, we are going to have to ask her to leave." one of the nurses says, sidestepping a still-blubbering Casey to talk to him. He watches Casey's lip tremble, and she swallows. He can't help but think the nurse was incredibly rude, and he holds out his hand to Casey. She takes it, collapsing in the chair next to his bed.

"Hey, Beautiful, it's going to be okay." he says soothingly, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. She sniffs, her tears having slowed, but she still looks upset.

"I don't like – hic – seeing you in pain." He has to suppress a laugh when she hiccups.

"I don't like seeing you cry. My foot is fine, Case. They'll probably just check to see if I have my tetanus shot updated and then send us on our merry way."

"But tonight is ruined. Everything you planned -"

"Don't worry about it. As soon as we get out of here, we can still go to the hotel. It's not like stepping on a nail did any damage to my penis, you know."

"Der-ek!" she shrieks in the highest octave he's ever heard her reach, her face horrified. He breaks out into a bout of hysterical laughter, but the pain in his foot keeps him from laughing too long.

But, alas, as nothing _ever_ seems to go right in their lives, he ends up needing an update on his tetanus shot, and, unbeknownst to Casey, he is completely and utterly terrified of needles. And there's no way in _hell_ he's going to let her find out about this.

When the nurse gets ready to administer the shot, he's gripping the sides of the bed so tightly that his knuckles are white. Casey notices and grabs his hand, and, whelp, so much for that plan of her not figuring out about his phobia of needles. The shot burns his skin, and the nurse starts reeling off side effects including mild fever, nausea and tiredness when he passes out.

He drifts in and out of consciousness a few times before fully coming to. All he can remember is glimpses of The Prince, Casey freaking out (yet again), and, for some strange reason, an elevator. When he wakes up, he's in an unfamiliar bed. He doesn't have time to process anything, however, because the moment he sits up and lets out a groan, his vision is obscured by a worried brunette throwing her arms around him.

"Oh, thank god you're safe! I was so worried about you! I don't know if it was the shot that made you pass out, or just your fear of shots. Either way, I was terrified. The nurses had to help me get you to the car, and I couldn't even stop crying. And the concierge thought I was crazy! I just can't even believe this happened!"

"Casey?" He groggily pushes away from her so he can see her face. "Where are we?"

"The hotel. I checked us in, and you sort of half-walked to the elevator and our room and then fell asleep on the bed."

"What time is it?"

"Nearly one."

"AM?" She nods somberly, and he clutches his head. "Damn it. I'm so sorry, Case. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I thought it was going to be okay."

She gives him a sad smile. "I'm just glad you're alright." She brings a hand up to his jaw and presses a tender kiss to his lips. "We'll just have to wait a little longer for our first time. We're good at that."

He chuckles, trying to conceal the yawn that's itching at the corners of his mouth. "Why am I so tired?"

"Because of that awful shot." At her mention of the word 'shot,' a pang runs through his arm, and he finally starts to notice both the pain in his foot and shoulder.

"I wish it didn't hurt so much. I wish I wasn't such a wuss. I wish I wasn't so out of it. I wish we had our own apartment."

She responds by nestling into him and forcing him back against the pillows. "Sleep." she says gently. It takes less than a minute before he's passed out again.

* * *

The next week goes accordingly:

Casey checks them out of the hotel, calls his work and lets them know what happened, and does her best to 'nurse him back to health' with a few of his favourite films, a batch of chocolate chip pancakes, and a whole lot of kisses. Even though he is thoroughly embarrassed from passing out from a shot in front of his girlfriend, she doesn't seem to think any less of him, and the extra attention isn't a bad bonus at all.

The pain from the shot eventually subsides, and his foot injury starts to get better. He gets a temporary break from work, but isn't at all upset about returning. He's well-rested from the time he had off. His professors cut him a little slack when they hear about the awful accident he went through. (So he exaggerates a _bit._ No harm in that.)

Gary gets a girlfriend. That's right. Gary. The king of annoyance. He thinks it's a godsend. Or a miracle. Or very, very good luck, at least. He knows it's only a matter of time before Gary will be spending the night at said girlfriend's dorm, which means he gets a night alone with Casey.

And, sure enough, one week after the 'nail incident' - as they now refer to it; (much to Casey's dismay, he makes a cheesy joke about him getting nailed after all) - Gary is nowhere in sight when he invites Casey over.

Their night starts out with "When Harry Met Sally," the _only_ romcom he will admit that he likes. They get as far as Harry and Sally meeting on the plane for the second time before there's a lot less watching the movie and a lot more watching each other.

Casey reaches for the remote to just turn the movie off because it's more of a distraction than entertainment now, and he uses the opportunity to announce the good news.

"Case…" She turns off the TV and smiles at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Yes?" she asks, quirking an eyebrow.

He has to clear his throat before continuing, the thought of the impending situation following his next sentence weighing heavy on his brain. "Gary is staying over at his girlfriend's tonight."

"You mean…?"

He nods. "Uh huh."

She gives him the most enthusiastic smile he's ever seen in his life and leans over again, kissing his mouth.

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" she mumbles in between kisses.

"Just now… came to mind." Yeah, he's not going to be able to form a coherent sentence with her body flush against his, one hand tangled in his hair and the other under his shirt.

He involuntarily bucks against her hips, unable to control his desire as she kisses him. She lets out a small gasp and pauses to look at him, the gravity of the moment seeking in. Her eyes grow wide and her enthusiasm subsides. She drops both of her hands to her sides and sits on his legs, uncertainty written on her face.

She speaks so quietly he can barely hear her, her question coming out in a squeak. "What if I'm not good at it?"

He just stares at her and blurts out his first thought. "What if _I'm_ not good at it?"

"That's not possible."

"Oh my god, did you just quote A Walk to Remember?"

"Did you just _recognize_ a quote from A Walk to Remember?"

"Well, with the amount of times you made me watch it…"

She frowns. "Der…"

"Sorry." He runs a hand through his hair in frustration. "I can't believe we're stalling to have sex… Especially since we had to wait so long and-"

He stops short when Casey starts _crying_.

"Whoa, whoa, hey! What's wrong?" He sits up in alarm and grabs her hands in his.

She shakes her head and doesn't look at him. "I'm so scared."

"Hey, hey." he says gently, brushing her hair tenderly behind her ear. She meets his gaze. "It's going to be okay… This is supposed to be a good experience for the both of us. I know it might hurt at first, but I'll take it as slow as you want. And if you want me to stop, you just say the word, and I will. I don't want you to worry or be upset at all. And if we both suck at it, then they say practice makes perfect, right?" She lets out a blubbery giggle and he smiles at her, wiping her tears away. "I love you, Case."

"I love you so much, Derek." she whispers, leaning over to kiss him. "You always know the right thing to say." He smirks, and her face instantly goes from reassured to horrified. "Oh no. Why are you making that face?"

"I've been really trying, baby…" he starts to sing, and she lets out a playful shriek as he wraps his arms around her waist.

"Oh no. Oh no, no, no!"

"Trying to hold back this feeling for so long!" he continues, pulling her close to him.

She laughs as he lifts her shirt over her head and throws it on the ground. He takes a moment to admire her almost-bare torso, the curves of her body, the way her stomach falls and rises as she breathes. He wants to say something, but before he can, his own shirt is being hoisted up over his head by his girlfriend. "Your turn." she whispers, tossing his shirt aside and kissing his shoulder.

They get caught in the heat of the moment for a few more minutes before more articles of clothing are removed. The last thing to go is his boxers, and he removes them tentatively, watching Casey's reddening face.

"Oh…" she says breathlessly, and he's almost tempted to laugh as she stares at him, her eyes wide.

"You're so adorable." he mumbles, bending down to kiss her neck.

"You're so… _oh._" She moans as he sucks on her jaw, and he breaks from her, his lust becoming too much to handle.

He has to calm himself down, remembering his promise to Casey to take it slow. "Are you ready, Case?" he asks, his voice a few octaves lower than it was just a few seconds earlier.

"Let's get it on…" she sings, her voice low and raspy.

_Well_, that's certainly enough to convince him.

He was right about the beginning being painful for her. She tears up at first, and it almost breaks his heart to see her crying from something he's doing to her. It's enough to make him want to stop right then and there. But she holds out and soon their bodies are in perfect rhythm. They're sent over the edge together in an exhausting but satisfying wave of pure ecstasy.

When it's all over, they lay tangled in the sheets, letting their breathing settle before either of them speak.

"Wow." she finally whispers, and her voice causes goosebumps to rise on his arms.

"Yeah." he says simply, turning towards her and running his hand back and forth over her cheek. He thinks that's the only thing he can manage to say at his point in time.

"Well, I'm no expert, but I don't think you were bad at that." She chuckles, and he laughs, pulling her closer to him.

"You were excellent." he says, and her face turns the brightest shade of red he's ever seen her manage. "Oh, you're blushing from _that_? Come on, we'renaked!"

Casey laughs, biting her lip. "I'm not blushing from what you said." she says softly.

"Then what?"

"The way you looked at me just now. It was almost too much to handle."

He smiles and kisses her softly on the lips. "I want to tell you something, but I don't want you to freak out." he says, pulling away.

"I'm completely calm. I promise."

He breathes in. "It may be too soon to say this, but… I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

She raises both eyebrows. "Derek Venturi, was that a marriage proposal?"

"Sort of. Not really. Kind of. More like a promise that, in due time, we will get married."

"I like this promise."

"Yeah?"

"Mmm-hmm."

He pulls her close to him and buries his face in her neck, taking in the smell and feel of her. "I love you more than anything, Case." he mumbles in her ear.

"I do too, Der."


End file.
